An Unusual Team
by TMNTfan1
Summary: TMNT teams up with the Teen Titans, plus two of my original charcters; Kayla and Jordan! Hope everything turns out good :)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kayla was crouched on the edge of a roof, surveying the city. The sky was a dark navy blue with no stars, the peacefulness almost made it easy to forget that she was in the middle of New York.

'Almost' she repeated in her mind as a car horn made her look back at the busy streets. Even this late at night there was traffic. The only reason her brothers were allowing her out this late was it wasn't a school night, even though it was Thursday. Due to teacher meetings and stuff they didn't have school on Friday, giving them a three day weekend.

A light breeze blew by, making her hair and mask tails flap into her face. She patiently brushed them away. Her and her brothers were taking turns watching the streets. There'd been a huge crime wave lately and they wanted to make sure the streets were safe from crooks. Raph had been completely against Kayla participating in this, saying that it was too dangerous and all, but Leo had insisted that if she desperately needed back-up she had her shell cell to call if she needed.

As if on cue an alarm sounded, causing Kayla to instinctively reach for her bow, which was resting across her shoulder and back, as her eyes were drawn to the street. Her eyes widened when she saw a man dressed all in black running out of a store with a large bag in his hand. Kayla pulled her green, ninja mask down over her eyes. The sign on the store he broke into read, "2nd Time Around". Kayla gritted her teeth as she raced across rooftops, keeping the thief in her sights at all times.

"No one steals from April's shop and gets away with it." Kayla said to herself as she pulled ahead of the crook and leapt into the next alley. She rushed to the entrance to the alley and stood, back to the wall, as she listened. She could hear his footsteps approaching and tensed her muscles. Then, when he was nearly beside her, she threw her arm out of the alley, catching a grip on his shirt, and yanked him into the alley. Using all her strength she threw him against the wall. Within a second his shirt was pinned to the wall with an arrow, which she'd shot at him.

"Wait, p-please." the man stuttered as Kayla approached him, allowing the shadows to conceal her enough to make her look menacing. "I-I didn't mean it."

"Oh, so you just 'accidentally' broke into that shop and 'accidentally' stole this bag of antiques. Is that it?" she asked sarcastically as she held up the bag. The jingle of easily breakable antiques could be heard from inside it.

"C'mon kid." he panted nervously, "I- everyone's gotta earn a living, right?" he chuckled nervously.

Kayla pulled the arrow out of the wall and his shirt and placed it back in her quiver. Then she grabbed the collar of his shirt and lifted his face close to hers. "Don't call me 'kid'." and she threw him back to the ground. He tried to crawl away but she grabbed his leg and threw him into the wall, knocking him unconscious. Kayla brushed her hands off and picked up the bag. She planned on taking it back to April's and then she would come back for the creep.

As she was about to leave the alley a shadow crossed over her. Suddenly something shot by her, ripping the bag right out of her hand. Looking at the wall she saw the bag pinned to the wall by a sharp, red, boomerang-like device. Looking around all sides, Kayla got into a fighting stance, ready to take on whoever was in the ally with her.

Then six shadows stepped forward, surrounding her. She couldn't believe her eyes. From what she could see they were all kids like her! Kayla tried to back up but they were behind her, too.

Then a voice spoke, a boy's from the sound of it, "So, you think you're cool, stealing from other people, huh?"

"What?" Kayla couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Don't try to play dumb, kid. It's not gonna work." said another, deeper voice from behind her.

"I didn't steal it! I stopped the guy who did!" Kayla protested.

"A likely story." said another boy's voice, this one sounding higher-pitched than the others, with a bit of a raspy noise to it.

Suddenly a fist shot out of the shadows toward Kayla's face, but she was ready. Catching the fist with her right hand she spun her attacker behind her and threw it toward the others. To her surprise a huge cushion of water appeared and her attacker, a girl, landed on it perfectly. Kayla took a step back.

"W-who are you?" she asked shakily.

"We could easily ask you the same thing." spoke another girl with a monotone voice who almost looked like a shadow herself. "Doesn't mean we'd get any answers out of you."

Kayla shook her head to clear it. "You have no right to be attacking me like this. This isn't even a fair fight!" she growled as she clenched her fists at her side.

"You think criminals fight fair?" spoke a boy, the first one, judging by his voice, "Clearly you're an unusual one." he crossed his arms, almost in a commanding way.

Kayla gritted her teeth angrily. "I'm not a criminal!" she shouted at him, "And I don't fight like one, either. I dare any one of you to take me on in a FAIR fight! Right now." she saw her attackers exchange glances. Then the boy who'd last spoken, the leader if Kayla had to guess, stepped forward.

"Fine. I will." he answered. Kayla nodded and the other teens stepped away from them, moving to the side of the alley. Kayla faced the boy, he had dark, spiky hair and a cape, she couldn't quite make out any colors in the darkness.

She bowed her head to him, just because they seemed to fight unfairly didn't mean she should act dishonorable. He attacked first. She side-stepped and avoided him. Then she got out her bow and managed to block a strike from a steel staff he'd pulled out. He swung it at her a few times, skillfully aiming his blows. Kayla ducked one of his attacks and swept her leg under him, knocking him down for a moment. She struck a punch toward him, but he rolled to the side, causing her to punch the concrete. She flinched as the pain shot up her arm but just turned her pain into anger as she dodged a kick he aimed at her side. She leaped into the air, flipping backward and landing on her feet just behind him. There she threw another punch at him, nailing him in the side of his face because he'd tried to turn around. The punch sent him spinning but he turned it into an advantage as his leg swung and knocked her bow out of her hand. When her head turned back to face him his fist flew toward her and she was sent flying back and landed hard on the ground.

Before she knew it he landed with his knee planted firmly on her ribs and his hands pinning her arms to the ground so that she couldn't move. She looked up at his face and just realized that he was also wearing a mask, but his was white with black around the edges. Realizing she'd lost she glared up at him; he smirked down at her, making her even angrier.

Suddenly a shadow crossed above them, making Kayla look past him. Then a flash of green passed in front of her and her attacker was kicked by a green, two-toed foot. Seeing flashes of red, blue, orange, and purple made her smile. Before she knew it a familiar, three-fingered hand was offered to her and she took it, quickly being pulled to her feet. She came face-to-face with a blue-masked turtle, though he was a few inches taller than her. He handed her bow back to her, "Missing something?" he smiled as he handed it to her.

"Thanks bro." Kayla smiled at Leo before she turned to see her other brothers fighting the teens who attacked her.

"We could use a little back-up, thanks." Raph shouted sarcastically, fighting a larger boy. Leo and Kayla nodded to one another before they split up; Leo raced to help Mikey, who was fighting the leader who'd fought Kayla, a girl with long, red hair, and what looked like a tiger. Meanwhile, Kayla hurried to help Don who was fighting a girl in a dark blue cloak and a girl in a red and black shirt.

Leaping into the fight she came face to face with the girl in the red and black shirt. They immediately jumped into a fist fight, throwing and dodging punches. Kayla managed to catch the other girl's chin with her fist, but she saw the girl make a fist with her own hand and a fist-shaped chunk of ice appeared right by it! She swung her fist toward Kayla and the ice followed as if it were actually attached to her. Kayla was thrown into the wall as the ice slammed into her stomach. Kayla ducked quickly as the girl tried to punch her again. When she pulled her arm back Kayla leapt into the air and spun her leg around, kicking the girl in the face. The girl was thrown into the ground.

Kayla walked toward the girl, who was still on the ground.

The girl looked up at her, panting with blood dripping out of her mouth. She wiped it away with her knuckle. "Don't fight like a criminal, huh? Well, you have a funny way of proving that." she shakily pushed herself into a sitting position.

"How's that?" Kayla asked.

The girl nodded to where her friends were fighting the turtles. "You said a one-on-one fight, but you have a whole army of lizards jump in the moment you lose. Not exactly fair, is it?"

"Turtles." Kayla corrected instantly, "And I didn't ask them to jump in and help. My guess is they saw me 'in trouble' and decided to help me. And even with their help you guys still outnumber us." Kayla looked at the girl thoughtfully. "Ya know, you don't seem too surprised to see four giant turtles."

The girl shrugged and rubbed her knees. "I guess I've seen enough strange things in my life that very few things faze me anymore." the girl looked up at Kayla. "What about you? You didn't seem too surprised when I punched you with ice."

Kayla shrugged back. "Same thing. I've seen enough to not be too surprised anymore."

The girl looked up curiously at her. "Who are you?" she asked suddenly.

"I could ask you the same thing." Kayla replied shortly.

"You could." the girl agreed, "but I'm surprised you haven't figured it out yet."

Kayla offered her hand to the girl, deciding she was either really good at tricking people or they were pretty much done fighting. "How do you figure?" she asked.

The girl cautiously took her hand as she said, "Well, not to brag or anything, but we are kind of famous and all."

"Famous? You?" Kayla tried to keep a scoff out of her voice. "How?"

The girl rolled her eyes and pulled a yellow and black, walky-talky type thing with a white 'T' on it out of her pocket and showed it to Kayla. "We're the Teen Titans."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"The Teen Titans?" Kayla thought for a moment. She knew that name sounded familiar. Thinking back she remembered almost a year ago she saw a news report about a group of teenage heroes who saved the city of Tokyo, Japan. If she was remembering correctly that had to have been the Teen Titans. "Aren't you guys supposed to be in, like, Steele City, or something?" she asked the girl in front of her.

"Jump City, actually." she answered with a shrug. "But we came to New York City on, um, business." she shrugged again with a sideways smile.

Kayla looked at her suspiciously for a while. "Right." she said after a while. "What's your name again?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Jordan. You?"

"Kayla." at that moment a loud crashing noise made both girls turn and Kayla tensed when she saw that Michelangelo had been thrown roughly against the dumpster.

As if reading her mind Jordan turned to her, "We have to stop this fight before someone gets seriously hurt. It was all just a big misunderstanding." Kayla nodded. A big cushion of water formed below Jordan's feet as she floated up above the clashing teens. Kayla rushed over and leapt up onto the fire escape ladder and hung on, waiting. She saw Jordan raise her hands up into the air and throw them down, as if chucking something at the ground. A huge layer of water appeared above her head and as she threw her hands down the water followed, splashing down on top of those fighting in the alley.

All nine teens looked around in confusion, shaking the water off them. The boy with the spiky, dark hair and wearing a cape looked around before looking up.

"Jordan!" he shouted up at the girl who was standing on the water. "What the heck?" All the teenagers looked up at her, the turtles getting ready for the fight to continue. Kayla gripped a rung on the ladder and used it to swing back into the alley.

She landed easily on the ground between the two teams and Jordan landed next to her, standing back to back. "Wait!" Kayla yelled, raising her hands toward her brothers to stop them. "It was a big misunderstanding! Their the Teen Titans!"

Her brothers all looked at each other in confusion.

Raph looked back at her. "Uh…the who now?"

"Dude!" Mikey stepped forward so he could see Raph past Leo. "The Teen Titans! They're, like, the most awesome teenage superhero team ever!" he turned back to stare at the superhero team, his mouth open in awe. Kayla refrained from smacking her forehead. Figures Mikey would be the one to have heard of them before.

"Yeah, so?" said a voice from behind her and she turned to see a large, half robotic young man step forward. "So we're the Teen Titans. So what? That still doesn't explain why you," he pointed a robotic finger at Kayla, "stole that bag of antiques."

Leo stepped forward, "Wait, that's what this is all about? She didn't steal it. It was stolen from the 2nd Time Around. Our friend April owns that shop. Since the recent crime waves on this side of town we decided to take turns keeping an eye on things for her. It was Kayla's turn."

"HE'S the one who stole them." Kayla pointed her finger into the back of the alley, where the crook was still unconscious from being knocked out earlier.

The Teen Titans all exchanged glances.

"How do we know you're not making all this up?" asked the leader.

"She's not, Robin." they all turned back to Jordan, who was still standing by Kayla's side.

"Jordan," Robin looked slightly taken aback, "you're sure?" he asked carefully.

"Positive." she answered, "I can't pick up any thoughts suggesting that she's making any of this up."

Robin sighed carefully. "Fine." he turned to Leo, who he was guessing was the leader of this strange group. "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. And I'm sorry for attacking your…" he glanced at Kayla, "teammate." he held out his hand and Leo shook it.

"It's fine." Leo dipped his head slightly, "I'm just glad we sorted it all out."

The boy who was half robot stepped forward. "So, uh, what are you guys, exactly?"

Another boy stepped forward, a bit smaller than his other male teammates. "Dude, isn't it obvious? They're turtles!"

Kayla grinned in amusement and she heard Jordan giggle slightly.

"Can we save the meet-n-greet till lata' please?" Raph asked as he pulled a rope from his belt and headed toward the robber who was still unconscious. "April'll want 'er stuff back an' I want to get back ta bed."

Leo glanced back at Robin. "I'm guessing there are some questions you want to ask us."

Robin nodded.

"Well, I don't think April will mind if we bring a few guests when we take her stuff back."

So after Raph tied the crook up and Don called the cops Mikey lead the way up the fire escape to the roof. Leo and Kayla waited till last. Leo glanced down, noticing that Kayla was rubbing the knuckles of her right hand.

"You okay?" he asked, nodding toward her hands.

Kayla shrugged, looking down at her hand. "Yeah. I punched the concrete when I was fighting their leader."

Leo gestured for her to go ahead of him up the ladder as he said, "We'll have to get some ice on it when we get to April's" When the two reached the roof they saw that half of the group was almost halfway back to April's already, so they raced to catch up.

When they reached the edge of the last building they leapt down onto the fire escape to April's window. Kayla was almost the last one in and when she saw April she grinned at the face she was making. April stood there in her pink robe, her red hair hanging down just past her shoulders, her eyes and mouth wide open as she watched the large group of teenagers enter her home.

"Hey, April." Don went over to the red-head handing her the bag of antiques. "Is it okay if we stay here for a few minutes to talk with our, uh, new friends?"

April nodded before whispering to herself, "As long as they don't need a place to stay." and she went into the kitchen to make herself some tea.

Raph and Mikey had made themselves comfy on April's couch while the Titans all stood in the corner, as if too afraid to even breathe in the small, one-person apartment.

"Make yourselves comfortable." Leo said, gesturing to the small living room while he ushered Kayla toward the kitchen. When they reached the edge of the kitchen Leo rested his hand on Kayla's shoulder. "Hey, April?" April turned from where she was brewing some hot water for her tea. "Do you have an ice pack by any chance? Kay hurt her hand."

April nodded. "Absolutely." and she opened the freezer just to her right, popped some ice cubes out of a tray, and dumped them into a plastic bag. "Here." she turned and handed it to Leo. Taking the ice pack from April he gently took Kayla's right hand and held it up to get a good look at it. Kayla noticed that it was already starting to bruise and it hurt a little when someone touched it.

"Hold this on it." Leo carefully placed it on her hand and Kayla held it there while the two walked into the living room to talk to the others.

Kayla sat on the ground next to Jordan and a boy with green skin. Mikey was sitting on the couch with Don and Robin. The boy who was half robot was standing next to the couch with a red-haired girl in a purple outfit. Raphael had moved to stand by the window and a girl in a blue cloak was sitting in the recliner. Leo stood in front of everyone.

"Well, anywhere in particular you want to start?" Leo asked Robin.

Robin thought for a moment. "Well, how about we start with…names?" Leo nodded and Robin continued. "Well, I'm Robin. This is Cyborg and Starfire," he gestured to his left to the half robot boy and the red-haired girl, "over there is Raven," he pointed to the girl in the cloak, "and right here is Beast Boy and Jordan." he pointed toward the green-skinned boy and Jordan.

Leo nodded a greeting before starting himself. "Well, I'm Leonardo. Over by the window is Raphael, on the couch in the purple is Donatello, in orange is Michelangelo, and she's Kayla." he finished gesturing to the black-haired girl. Kayla lifted her right hand in a small wave, still pressing the icepack on the back of it.

"Okay, I gotta ask." Cyborg burst out. "How in the heck does a young, teenage girl become friends with four giant turtles?"

Kayla exchanged a slightly amused glance with her brothers.

Raph spoke from his spot by the window. "We're not friends."

Cyborg looked at him, "You're not?"

Raph shook his head, a smug grin on his face. "Nope. Family."

Cyborg's eyes nearly bulged out of his head and suddenly Kayla noticed all eyes were on her. Leaning back slightly she felt her face turn a little red. "What? What are you all looking at me for?"

Beast Boy leaned forward to look at her from the other side of Jordan. "How are YOU related to THEM?" he looked from her to each of the turtles. "I don't exactly see a family resemblance."

Kayla glanced hopefully at each of her brothers. "C'mon, do I have to be the one to tell the story? It's technically Raph's story. Why can't he tell it?" As if on cue Raph looked out the window as if he wasn't listening. Leo let out exasperated sigh.

"Long story short," Leo answered for his stubborn siblings, "Raph found Kayla abandoned in the sewers when she was a baby."

"The sewers?" Starfire spoke up, her voice full of innocence, "What are the sewers?" she asked as she looked around to her own teammates.

Robin answered, "They're the tunnels underground where all the sewage water and waste go down the drains."

"You know what the sewers are, Star." Cyborg turned to her, his arms crossed in a relaxed pose, "We've had to go in them before."

Star's big, green eyes widened in understanding and a little in shock. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "But, who would leave an adorable, tiny baby in such a horrible place?"

Kayla sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with her left hand while the ice pack balanced on her right. "Well…my mom didn't really ABANDON me, in the sense. She, uh, did it to protect me. She was being chased and the people chasing her wanted both her and me."

"Why?" Raven asked in a monotone voice, suggesting she really didn't care if she got the answer.

Kayla blew out a breath, blowing her bangs out of her face. "They wanted to punish my mom for something she did to them, and they wanted me because their boss wanted to, um, adopt me, I guess." she shrugged, avoiding eye contact, and secretly hoped someone would change the subject soon. Robin did, thankfully, and they started exchanging information about things like powers, weapons, and things like that.

"So…you said earlier that you're here on business." Leo said after a while, his arms crossed. "What kind of business, exactly? You don't have to say," he added quickly, "but, you know, we'd like to help. If there's a threat in our city we'd like to do what we can to keep the people here safe."

"Yeah," Kayla said with almost a scoff in her voice, "the last thing this city needs is another power-hungry killer who isn't afraid to get blood on his hands."

There was a silence at what Kayla had said and Kayla was glad when Robin finally broke it, "Well, I'm not really sure how you guys could help us but…there's this villain, we've been fighting him for as long as we can really remember, and there're some signs suggesting that he may have come to New York. But like I said, I'm not sure how you guys could help."

"You'd be surprised. We could help with just about anything." Don spoke up from his spot next to Robin. "Even from the smallest things; like just helping know where to search for this guy. And, out of curiosity, where are you guys staying while you're here?"

"At a hotel on the east side of town." Robin answered.

"Well, chances are an average hotel won't have much in the way of technology. But we have tons of stuff. We could help you with some of that stuff." Don added.

"Well," Robin looked over at Cyborg.

"We could use that kind of help, Robin." Cyborg pointed out with a shrug.

Robin was silent as his gaze traveled around the room, thinking. Finally he sighed. "How do we get to this equipment, exactly?"

Leo answered, "Well, it's at our place. You could come by tomorrow and Don and I could help with some stuff." Leo wrote something on a small piece of paper. Going over to Robin he gave it to him. "If you go to this address, on the corner of Eastman and Laird, there's an old warehouse there. One of us could wait there for you to take you to our place. What time do you think you want to stop by?"

Robin thought for a moment, glancing at his teammates. "How about…around ten tomorrow morning?" he answered after a while.

"Great." Leo answered. Glancing at his own 'team' he said, "I say that's good for one night. I think we all need some sleep." everyone murmured in agreement. Kayla glanced at the clock on the wall as she yawned. It was going on two in the morning. She stood and followed everyone else to the window. She glanced around and realized April had gone to bed. She felt a hand nudge her own hands and glanced up to see Raph standing by her, waiting for everyone else to get out.

"What 'appened at yer hand?" he asked in his usual Brooklyn accent.

She glanced down at her hands. "Oh, um, I kinda, well, punched the concrete when I was fighting Robin?" she glanced up at her brother, grimacing in embarrassment.

Raph snorted in amusement. "Smooth." he commented as his elbow nudged her arm. When they were the last two in the small apartment he closed the window behind him and they raced to catch up to their brothers.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kayla felt something nudge her shoulder and forced her eyes to open. When her vision cleared her eyes focused on a familiar face.

"Hey." Donatello was crouched by the side of her bed, his warm, brown eyes looking down at her as he rested his hand on her shoulder. "It's going on ten. The Titans will be hear soon. You wanna get up? Or keep sleeping?"

Kayla was tempted to keep sleeping, but she really wanted to know what was going on with this criminal they were after. "I'm awake." she groaned as she stretched and sat up. Don stood to leave her to wake up on her own. "Hey, Don." Kayla stopped him. He turned and looked back at her. "Can you help me with my homework later on? I really don't understand the whole gravity equation we're learning in math right now."

Don nodded with his gentle smile. "Yeah. If we have time today or tonight I'll help you. If not, we'll work on it some time this weekend"

"Thanks." Kayla stretched again and climbed out of bed. Feeling the chill of late autumn she pulled on her hooded sweatshirt that had her school's name on the chest and changed into some jeans. Brushing her hair quick she looked herself over in the mirror before heading towards the kitchen. A delicious smell wafted over the air as she entered the small, stove-warmed kitchen.

"Hey, ya hungry?" Mikey asked as he held up a plate of pancakes he'd made.

Kayla's brown eyes widened and she nodded vigorously. Mikey smiled his usual goofy smile as he placed it in front of her. Looking around as she ate she asked, "Where is everyone?" realizing she couldn't see her other brothers anywhere.

A green, muscular arm reached over her shoulder to grab the carton of orange juice off the table; and a familiar, Brooklyn-accented voice answered, "Well, I'm right b'hind ya, Donnie's on his computers, an' Leo's topside waitin' for the Titans." Kayla smirked up at her brother as he moved around her to sit in the chair next to her.

"Good to know." she answered as she took a huge bite of her pancakes. Seeing Raph take a huge chug of orange juice right out of the carton, she rolled her eyes. "You're lucky I don't like that stuff." she smirked over at him.

Raph just wiped his mouth with his arm and remarked, "Sucks to be you." as he got up to put the carton away.

When Kayla was on her last bite she heard the familiar sound of the crystal-powered elevator door open. She turned around in her chair, still chewing, as the Titans walked in, lead by Leo.

"Man!" Cyborg shouted, turning in a circle to get a good look at everything, "When you said you lived in the sewers I wasn't expecting… this!"

Raven came up behind him. "Yeah. And it actually smells better than Beast Boy." Kayla grinned as Beast Boy gave Raven a dirty look. Kayla quickly rinsed off her plate in the sink and hurried over to greet them.

"Kayla! Hey!" Jordan greeted her as the two almost-friends greeted each other with a side hug.

"Hey!" she answered back.

They all turned to look at their two leaders as Leo asked, "So, where do you think we should start?"

Robin gestured to Cyborg, "Well, Cy brought a flash drive that has the profile and all our files on this criminal."

Donatello came up from his computer desk. "Want me to plug it into our computer system so we can look it over?" Cyborg and Robin nodded as Cy handed the flash drive to the purple-masked turtle. The whole group followed the two brainiacs over to the computer and Kayla moved to stand by her oldest brother.

"Did you talk to Master Splinter about all this?" she whispered to him while they waited for them to set up the flash drive.

Leo bent over slightly since he was quite a bit taller than her. "Yeah. He said we should try to help in anyway we can. But we have to remember that these guys have experience fighting this guy and we have to remember to listen to them." Kayla nodded, agreeing with what their father had told him. Then she looked up to see several pictures and typed pages appear on Don's computer screen.

The largest picture showed someone, probably a man based on his size and body-build, in some kind of gray and black armor. The left half of the mask he was wearing was black with no eye, and the right half was a gold-copper color with an eye.

Don read the name on the file out loud to everyone, "Slade."

Kayla felt herself shiver and buried her hands in her baggy sweatshirt pockets. Jordan leaned over and whispered in her ear, "I know how you feel. The first time I met him his voice and his face gave me nightmares for weeks."

Kayla grinned over at the brown-haired titan. "I can relate." she remarked, thinking of her own nightmares.

Leo crossed his arms as he skimmed the files, his eyes widening as he read. He looked over to Robin, who was also reading it even though he probably read it hundreds of times before. "He did all that?" Leo asked in surprise. Robin nodded, not taking his eyes off the screen. Leo thought for a moment. "Well…do you know him well enough to have an idea on what he might be planning?"

Robin looked at the ground, his arms crossed, and Kayla noticed everyone turn to watch him. Without taking his eyes off the floor Robin finally spoke, "Well, most of the times we fought Slade it was usually a personal fight. He was usually targeting me or another member of our team. But if anything he did didn't involve us it was usually him trying to take over the city, sometimes the whole world. He managed to take over Jump City with his apprentice once a few years back," Robin glanced at his team towards Beast Boy, who Kayla noticed was looking at the ground, "but we managed to stop him before his control spread too far. On that occasion one of our…former teammates killed him in a volcano. However, a, uh, demon brought him back to life so Slade could serve him. After that we hadn't really had any trouble with him for a while. But when we got this message notifying us that he was moving to New York City we decided to follow him and investigate."

Listening to Robin talk Kayla didn't realize that her mouth slowly dropped open until she felt a finger bump her chin, silently telling her to close her mouth. Looking up she saw Raph smirking down at her. Smirking back up at him she stuck out her tongue, but quickly put it back when she saw Leo turn around. The last thing she wanted was for Leo to reprimand her in front of everyone.

"So…since you guys don't live here chances are he's not after you. Which means that, maybe he's trying to take over New York?" Leo looked over at Robin uncertainly. Robin looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Maybe. But that doesn't help us find out exactly what he's planning. Or when he plans to make a move."

Beast Boy spoke up, "Maybe Jordan could scan the city for his thoughts, like when she's trying to find one of us." he looked over at his teammate thoughtfully and everyone else did the same.

"Do you think that would work, Jordan?" Robin asked her seriously.

Jordan looked at the ground thoughtfully for a few moments. After a while she finally spoke, "Well…it's a lot easier when I have some kind of connection or bond with the person, like with a friend or something, and New York is A LOT bigger than Jump City. I'm not saying I can't but…it'd be a long shot." she shrugged, her blue eyes full of doubt.

"Well, we've got nothing better to do while we wait for something to come up. You willing to give it a try?" Robin asked her, his head tilted slightly.

Jordan nodded a little nervously.

Raven stepped forward to stand by her. "We've both noticed that sometimes I can kind of merge my powers with hers through meditation, to make them stronger. Maybe that will help. But it would be nice to have someplace quiet so we can focus."

"You meditate?" Raph asked a little curiously with his arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. Raven nodded nonchalantly.

"I can take you to the dojo." Leo answered Raven's question, "It's where we go to meditate. I'll show you." Kayla watched from her spot by Raph as Leo lead Jordan and Raven towards the dojo.

"Friend Robin," Starfire spoke up from where she was hovering near Robin's head, "what shall we do while we wait?"

Robin thought for a moment. "I guess…there's really not much we can do, Star." Leo came back into the room at this point, wanting to give the girls some space. "What do you think, Leonardo?" he asked the other leader.

"You're probably right, there's not much we can do without some information to go on. I guess we can just chill while we wait for something to pop up."

"YEAH!" Mikey exclaimed as he jumped into the air. "That means I can play Mega Monkeys 4!"

"DUDE!" Beast Boy lurched forward in amazement, "You got Mega Monkeys 4!? I've been dying to get that game!"

"Ya wanna play?" Mikey offered, pointing his thumb in the direction of the stacked TV's.

"Yeah!" BB answered and the two sped off.

Raph rolled his eyes while Leo shook his head in annoyance and Robin crossed his arms. Don caught Kayla's eye. "You wanna work on that homework now?" he offered. Kayla nodded and the two headed toward her room so they could work in peace at her desk.

Kayla squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her arms quiver with the effort of lifting the seventy-some pound bar. Raph was making her do as many reps as she could on the bench press lifting over seventy pounds. So far she was on her twenty seventh and was starting to feel the strain. Finally, after reaching her thirty second she couldn't summon the strength to place the bar back on the bar holdings. She felt the bar suddenly get lighter and opened her eyes to see Raph lifting it off her and placing it on the bar holdings for her. Breathing hard she sat up and Raphael handed her a towel. She used it to dry the sweat off her face.

After spending a good two hours on her homework she'd decided to spend some time with Raph. They started watching Mike and BB play their videogame but quickly got bored and went to do some workouts, with Raph pushing Kayla to her limits. He started by making her do as many sit-ups as she could, which turned out to be about seventy-something before she felt like she was going to bust a gut. After that they had some lunch, beat on the punching bag, and finally the bench-press.

It was going on almost four in the afternoon. Raven and Jordan had come out of the dojo less than a couple hours before, both looking tired and drained, and Jordan had a huge headache from mentally searching the whole city. Now Jordan was relaxing on the couch watching TV with BB, Mikey, Don, Starfire, and Cy. Meanwhile Raven and Leo were drinking herbal tea in the kitchen and Robin was monitoring some security cameras on the computer, which he'd been doing all afternoon.

Kayla scooted over on the bench, making room for Raph to sit by her. Apart from the sound of the TVs the lair was quiet for a good fifteen minutes, which Kayla was thankful for. Then, out of the corner of her eye she saw Robin get up and head toward the sofa.

"Jordan, you think you're ready to try again?" he asked.

Before Jordan could answer Beast Boy answered for her. "Dude, she's exhausted. Leave her alone."

"I'm fine." Jordan mumbled as she tried to sit up.

"Dude, you fell asleep against me." Beast Boy gently pointed out. Kayla decided to head towards the TV area and see what all was going on.

"I was just resting my eyes. I can do it." she tried to get up but Beast Boy and Raven gently sat her back on the sofa. Kayla saw that Jordan's bright blue eyes had dulled in color and her eyelids drooped slightly.

"Robin, for once I agree with Beast Boy." Raven turned to the leader, "We tried finding Slade and we couldn't. She even warned you it would be a long shot. I'm telling you we won't be able to do it. If you really want, and if we have nothing else to go on, we can give it another try tomorrow; but there is no way she'll be able to do it right now. Just look at her." Raven waved her hand in Jordan's direction, and Kayla realized she'd fallen asleep against Beast Boy's shoulder again, the changeling's arm around her.

Robin gazed down at the young titan. Kayla could see his shoulders droop slightly, some of the tension leaving them. He sighed. "Alright. There's really nothing we can do today, anyway. We might as well head back to the hotel and pick up some dinner on the way."

"You're more than welcome to eat dinner with us." Leo invited as he approached.

Robin smiled, "Thanks for the offer, Leo, but we don't want to intrude anymore than we have to. We'll probably be over around ten tomorrow morning, again."

"If I could mention something," Don spoke up from where he was sitting on a recliner a couple feet away. Leo nodded to him, showing he could speak. "Well, I just thought I'd mention that it's, well, kind of an inconvenience, you know? I mean, you guys come over around ten in the morning, and you can't really get here much earlier since the hotel is on the other side of town, and then you have to leave kind of early to get some dinner before you get back to your hotel room. Plus your hotel rooms are probably a little on the pricy side."

Robin shrugged. "Well, yeah. But there's not really much we can do about that."

"Well, there is…one thing." Don looked over at Leo, as if asking for permission.

Leo looked at the floor thoughtfully. "If you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting, Don," he glanced over at his brother, who nodded, "it's actually a good idea. If you're up for it." he glanced up at Robin.

"Up for what?" Robin asked cautiously.

"Well, we've got plenty of room. If you want you can all stay at our place while you're here. It'll be a little more organized. We could get started as soon as some of us are awake in the morning and work as late as we need. You'll have all the things you'll need here and we'll have all our equipment here."

Robin interrupted, "No, we couldn't. We don't want to impose."

"It wouldn't be imposing." Leo insisted, "And we'll be able to catch Slade much sooner." This last point seemed to catch Robin's attention and he seemed to think it over. Everyone watched him, waiting for his answer, even Jordan had woken up and was listening.

Robin sighed at last. "Alright, if it's really okay with you, then, I'm fine with it."

Kayla felt her jaw drop. The Teen Titans were going to be staying here?! Her first instinct was to cheer with the others but not even a splint second later another thought popped into her mind.

"Um, Leo?" she spoke hesitantly to her brother, but he didn't seem to hear her over the other voices so she went up and tapped him on the shoulder. He looked down at her and she asked quietly, "Can I talk with you?" He nodded. Kayla glanced around at the others, who were starting to calm down and a couple were looking at her. She looked back up at Leo. "Alone?" she suggested. A serious, and slightly concerned, look came on his face and he lead her over toward the workout area of the lair.

"What is it?" he asked when they were out of earshot of the others, her back to them and Leo facing her.

Kayla looked at the floor, "Well, I, um, I just don't think that…having them stay here is, well, a very good idea." she stared down at her feet to avoid looking at him, hugging her arms.

She could hear the confusion in his voice when he said, "What? Why? I thought you liked them."

"I do like them." she insisted.

"Then…what's the problem?" he asked.

"Well, I just, I-I don't want them to hate me."

"They wouldn't hate you." Leo rested his hands on each of her shoulders. "Where'd you get that idea?"

"Well, it's bad enough I wake you guys up a few times a week. I don't want to do that to them."

Leo sighed with understanding. After a moment he lifted her chin up with a knuckle and looked into her eyes. "They're not going to hate you because of your nightmares. You have to stop fearing things like this just because you're afraid of what people will think. You're nightmares are something you can't control, but you have to stop letting them control you." Kayla pulled her head away from him and looked to her side so she didn't have to look into his eyes anymore, she could already feel her emotions starting to give out. She didn't want to cry in front of the Teen Titans. She felt Leo pull her into a hug and she pressed her face into the muscles on his shoulder and neck, her arms wrapping around his shell. She could feel the burning of several gazes boring into her back and tried to ignore it. After several moments Leo asked, still hugging her, "So…will you be okay, then? With them staying with us?" he pulled back and looked down at her, "If you want I can explain the whole nightmare thing to them for you."

Kayla took a deep breath to steady her voice. "I'll be fine, I guess; but you don't have to tell them anything. I'll tell them, eventually." she faked a sideways smile at him. Leo smiled gently back at her before he walked past her back to the others, ruffling her hair as he went. With a sigh Kayla decided to go to her room, she didn't like the feeling of being watched. She could hear Robin asking if everything was okay and she didn't want to hear Leo's reply.

When she got to her room she sat on her bed and looked around. She was trying to think of something to do to distract herself when she heard a knock on the door. A few seconds later a voice spoke through the door, "Ey, can I come in?"

"Yeah." Kayla answered, her voice a little scratchy for some reason. Raph opened the door a little and poked his head in before coming all the way in, closing the door behind him. Kayla scooted over a little and he sat next to her on her bed.

There was a silence between them for almost a couple minutes before Raph asked, "So, ya gonna be okay wit all dis?" he asked, his Brooklyn accent unusually gentle.

Kayla sniffed a bit and nodded.

"Ya know Leo's prob'ly gonna make it so they'r all on da upper levels. Maybe they won't hear ya."

"Leo always does." she remarked, looking away.

"Yeah, but dat's Leo. He's pretty much got super hearin'." Raph grinned at her and Kayla couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Hey, ya know what? The Titans're all leavin' an' Mikey's orderin' pizza on da phone. If we hurry we can steal da remote an' watch what we wanna watch for once." he looked down at her and nudged her arm with his.

Kayla grinned and nodded in agreement before leaving to follow her brother.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Kayla… Kaaaylaaa." Kayla groaned and rolled over, partially hiding her head under her blankets. A familiar, gentle voice was probing into her dreams, trying to drag her into wakefulness. "Kayla, I need a favor."

"Go ask Mike." Kayla groaned, shoving her head completely under her blanket. She felt the blanket get pulled off her slightly. She opened her eyes a little. She was facing the brick wall of her room, her back to the door and whoever was trying to wake her up. She saw a familiar olive-green, three-fingered hand wave a large wad of money in her face. She rolled onto her back and looked up at Don.

"What kinda favor?" she asked groggily. Don grinned down at her and she had a feeling she was going to regret this.

"Well, I kinda need someone to go…shopping." he smirked down apologetically.

"Shopping?" she asked suspiciously as she rested her wrist on her forehead.

Don breathed in deep. "Grocery shopping." he grimaced down at her.

Kayla sat straight up in her bed. "Nuh uh, no way." she shook her head back and forth. "The last time I did the grocery shopping for our family do you know how many weird looks I got? Mikey had me buy almost two dozen frozen pizzas! I'm a junior, there's going to be people I know from school working there! Absolutely not," Kayla broke off her ranting as Don waved the large wad of money in her face again.

He pulled it back before talking. "It's only eight o'clock, Kay. There won't be many people there for a while. I already have a shopping list made up for you and I'm providing the money. All you have to do is go in, get all the stuff on the list, pay for it, and leave. Not all the hard. Plus," Don waved the money again, "I think $250 MIGHT be a little more than all this is going to cost. You do this for me and you get all the money that's left over."

Kayla looked over at the clock on her desk before looking back at her brother. "Don, it's Saturday. The one day of the week I can sleep in a little. Why would I get up early to go grocery shopping?"

"Well, you said yourself, you'll probably get quite a few weird looks the later you go, plus I would like to have the fridge filled up around ten this morning. In case you forgot, our house is about to pretty much double in number of bodies living down here."

Kayla sighed and rolled her eyes. "Alright, fine. Hand it over." she got out of bed and Don gave her the money and a sheet of notebook paper. She looked it over. The list took up almost the whole front side. Skimming through the list she looked at Don like he was crazy.

"Tofu?" she asked like it was a foreign language.

Don shrugged. "That Beast Boy kid's a vegetarian." Kayla blew her bangs out of her face as she set the list and money on her desk.

"Alright, I guess I better get going then." she rolled her eyes as she dug through her clothes drawer.

"Thanks, Kay." Don smiled as he left the room. Kayla grinned back as she pulled out a shirt and pants.

She pulled on her school's swim team T-shirt and some loose-fitting jeans with holes in the knees. She put the money and list in her pocket, brushed through her hair quick, slipped on her blue and white Puma's, and left her room. She quickly grabbed a cold slice of pizza from the fridge before heading to the elevator.

Kayla skimmed over the list, pushing the cart in front of her with her elbows. She was almost done with the shopping and was really looking forward to getting out of there. There was just one thing she need to find: tofu.

"I don't even know what aisle tofu would be in." she muttered as she skimmed the signs on the isles. She looked around hoping to find someone who worked there that didn't know her. "Excuse me?" she asked a man wearing a uniform with a nametag that said 'John'. He turned and smiled at her.

"May I help you?" he asked in a friendly voice.

"Um, well I was wondering where you keep your…tofu." she said uncomfortably. The man smiled and lead her to the refrigerated section.

"Here it is." he stopped and gestured to where there were dozens of boxes of packaged tofu.

"Thanks." she mumbled quietly as he left her. Glancing again at the list to check how much she needed to get she opened the door and grabbed about ten pounds of tofu. On the list Don had written it said she needed: two pounds of hamburger, three dozen eggs, two bags of flour, two gallons of milk, a gallon of soy milk, a gallon of orange juice, six boxes of cereal, two loaves of bread, a couple jars of peanut butter, about a dozen frozen pizzas, and about ten pounds of tofu. Double checking to make sure she got everything she sighed in relief. She didn't know how she managed to fit it all in one cart, but she did, even though it was almost spilling over. Now to get out without being spotted by someone who knew her.

She skimmed over the open registers and chose one that was being operated by an older woman, who definitely would not know her. She pushed the cart up to the register and smiled back at the woman as she smiled at her. She placed all her things on the conveyer belt one at a time. The woman scanned everything and placed them in plastic bags as she scanned them.

"Looks like you have enough here to feed an army." the woman grinned at her as she placed some of the last items in a bag.

Kayla chuckled uncomfortably. "Yeah." she agreed.

"Having an early thanksgiving get-together?" the woman asked as she rung up the price.

"I guess you could call it that." Kayla laughed a little. Thanksgiving was only about a week and a half away, she only had to go to school this week and then Saturday would technically be the start of thanksgiving break. Her family never really celebrated Thanksgiving in the traditional sense, with the turkey and all. They basically just spent the whole day together doing the kinds of things they normally did, minus training. The main reason she looked forward to it personally was thanksgiving break. Any opportunity to get out of school for a week she took it, though she had to admit, hearing what some of her friends did for thanksgiving made her wish sometimes that her family would do those kinds of things, too.

"Your total comes to $164.79." Kayla flipped through the wad of money Don gave her and handed the woman three fifties, a ten, and a five. When she got her change back and an assistant had placed all the bags, which totaled up to about five bags, back into the cart for her she hurriedly pushed the cart to the front of the store. She pulled her new skateboard that Don had built for her out of the cart first. It was extra wide and big. She personally preferred her other board better, it's small size made it easy to do tricks, but this one was better for helping carry large loads, which was what she had.

She placed two on the front half of her board and secured them with straps that Don installed. Then she held the other three in her hands as she skated down the sidewalk toward the warehouse.

Kayla huffed her breath as she maneuvered around the people walking on the sidewalk. She was right this morning. She was getting a lot of weird looks. Of course who WOULDN'T look at a teenage girl skateboarding down the street carrying five grocery bags. On the bright side she got about eighty some dollars out of the deal. She turned onto a vacant street. She would've preferred taking her motorcycle but that probably wouldn't have worked too well with all the plastic bags and nowhere to really put them on her bike. Walking would've taken her about two hours roundtrip and she probably would've dropped something. Skating only took her about half an hour one way, so overall it wasn't too bad, she just had to slow it down a bit on the way back so she didn't loose anything.

As she turned the corner she didn't notice the huge crack in the sidewalk. As her front wheel hit it she flew forward, the three bags in her hands thrown from her grasp. Just as she was about to land, smashing the other bags on her skateboard, she felt something catch her. She opened her eyes and looked down. Her body was surrounded by a black aura-like thing. Almost looking like gas but it felt different. She looked forward and saw the bags she dropped floating there, too. Looking past them she saw Raven standing there, her hand extended toward her and surrounded by the same black powers. She felt herself lowered to the ground and the bags floated toward Raven, who took them in her hands. Jordan came up behind her and took one from Raven.

"You look like you could use some help." Jordan smiled as she approached Kayla.

Kayla sighed in relief. "You have no idea." she sighed, she turned back to Raven, "Thanks." she nodded to the blue-cloaked girl.

Raven nodded back. "No problem." Kayla looked up and realized for the first time that she was right in front of the warehouse. Jordan picked up one of the bags on the skateboard as Kayla took the other and the board before the three entered the warehouse.

When they entered the lair below Kayla lead them to the kitchen. Kayla saw Leo approach them from where he was working with Don, Robin, and Cyborg at a table near Don's computers. Leo helped the three girls put the groceries away before the four headed back to the table as everyone else gathered around it.

Leo turned to face everyone as he began to speak. "I've come up with a plan on where everyone is going to sleep. My brothers and I will offer our rooms to you. Mikey and Don will sleep on the couch and the recliner, since that's where they usually fall asleep anyway." he smirked over at his two youngest brothers, "Raph and I will be sleeping in Kayla's room with her."

"But I only have two beds in my room." Kayla pointed out, slightly uncomfortable with sharing her room with her brothers, but then again it was better than one of the Titans.

"I'll sleep on the floor by your bed." Leo pointed out with small, reassuring smile. Kayla smiled back. It was his way of telling her that if she had a nightmare he'd be there to hopefully calm her down and wake her up before she screamed. Leo turned to Robin. "You can decide among yourselves who'll sleep in which room. Some of you may have to share." Leo shrugged apologetically. "One room I'd suggest for sharing would probably be Raph's room since he has a bed and a hammock."

"Alright, we'll keep that in mind. Thanks." Robin nodded as he lead his team to get their things.

Kayla stretched a bit as she relaxed on the couch. She glanced up when she saw Jordan and Raven leave the dojo, both looking strained. They had decided to try mentally searching the city again, and from the looks of it had the same luck as the day before. Kayla scooted over a bit to make room for Jordan to sit next to her.

"Hey." Kayla greeted quietly as Jordan sat by her. Jordan nodded with a smile, her eyes closed slightly. She looked exhausted.

Beast Boy came up and nudged Jordan gently. "Hey, Jay. You want some ice cream? Leo said if you want some they have chocolate."

Jordan smiled up at him and nodded, "Yeah, thanks BB." she answered quietly. Beast Boy smiled gently down at her before heading towards the kitchen. Kayla watched him leave before looking back at Jordan.

"He calls you Jay?" she asked with a smile.

Jordan looked at her. "Well, sometimes. It's usually something Cyborg calls me, but sometimes the others call me that, too."

Kayla chuckled quietly. "Yeah, my bros sometimes call me Kay." they were quiet for a few moments. "So…what's up with you two?" she asked curiously, glancing over at the brown-haired Titan.

Jordan smiled and her face blushed slightly. "Well uh… we've been dating for about…four years now. Maybe closer to four and a half." Jordan's face got even redder as she glanced over at Kayla. Kayla laughed a bit and nudged her. "What about you?" Jordan asked. "You have a boyfriend or something?"

Kayla rolled her eyes with a slight huff. She shook her head. "All the guys at my school are total jerks. Plus, I don't think any guy would be able to handle…my family." Kayla and Jordan both laughed. Jordan glanced at Kayla's shirt.

"Are you on the swim team?" she asked, slightly surprised.

Kayla glanced down at her shirt with a smirk. "Yeah. Girl's varsity swim team. Second year on varsity, third total."

"You like swimming?" Jordan asked.

"Well, living in a family of reptiles it…kinda grows on you. I've actually loved swimming for as long as I can remember." Kayla curled her legs up under her on the couch.

"Same here." Jordan answered, "But when I got my powers I…more than loved it. It kind of feels like…I need it. Like it's in my DNA. Well," Jordan shrugged a little, "technically it is. I got my powers when contaminated water entered my bloodstream and messed with my DNA."

"That's kinda cool." Kayla smiled. "Oh, to give you a heads up; Michelangelo has a 'Super hero team up' photo album. It has pictures of him with all of the super heroes he's ever teamed up with. He's probably going to ask for a picture of you guys sometime before you guys leave." Jordan and Kayla laughed a bit at that before Beast Boy came up with a bowl of chocolate ice cream, which he gave to Jordan. Then he sat beside her and rested his arm on the back of the couch. They all turned back to the TV where a cartoon had started playing.

Kayla tossed and turned in her sleep. Deep in her mind everything was pitch black. She whipped her head around, trying to find some sort of light. She tried to call for someone but no sound came from her mouth. Just then a large, blurred face appeared floating by her. She heard the sound of a girls laughter, but quiet and malicious. She could just make out half gold-copper and half black, a single, piercing-blue eye on the copper half. That form faded and the laugh blended with another laugh, this one more masculine and seductive-sounding. The blurred face was very similar to the first but a bit larger, the one eye a more grayish-blue that seemed to bore into her.

That face faded to black as well, to be replaced with a third. This one didn't wear a mask. She heard a woman's laugh and could see shoulder-length, black hair behind the shape of the head, some jagged black in front of the face indicating bangs. When that blurred face faded to black all the voices and laughter slowly faded to quiet just as another, larger figure loomed into view. This one wasn't blurry like the others. She could see it clearly, his evil, menacing laugh echoing in her ears. Red eyes stared at her, surrounded by sharp blades on a metal mask. A shining gauntlet came into Kayla's view and it swung towards her.

Two hands grabbed her arms and Kayla shot up in her bed, a small scream escaping her throat before she covered her mouth with both her hands. She felt a hand on her cheek turn her head. Leo's face was only a few inches from her own, his dark, brown eyes looking into hers trying to calm her down. She felt him pull her into a hug and hold her there. She saw Raph just behind him sitting up on one elbow in the other bed. His eyes were full of concern and uncertainty. Kayla buried her face into Leo's shoulder as she felt tears streaming down her face.

Raph looked toward the closed bedroom door. He could hear several voices just out there, and recognized Mike and Don among them, trying to calm everyone down. Raph climbed out of bed.

"I'm gonna go help Mike and Donny." he whispered to Leo as he left. He saw Leo nod gently so as not to disturb Kayla. Raph quickly opened and closed the door so the noise wouldn't disturb them.

As he entered the large room he saw the Titans all gathered around Don and Mikey, frantically looking around and asking questions.

"We heard someone scream. What happened?" Robin was demanding.

"It sounded like Kayla. Is she okay?" Jordan asked with concern.

"Did she get hurt?" Cyborg demanded.

Don and Mikey looked like they didn't know what to say. They looked at each other nervously, unsure how much they could say without making Kayla angry. They looked up, both sets of eyes filled with relief when they saw Raph approaching.

"Uh, hey Raph?" Mikey called, "Care to give us a hand?" he suggested hopefully. All the Titans stopped talking and looked at him expectantly.

Raph took a deep breath. He was never really comfortable with explaining things and he wasn't sure how much he could give away. He rubbed his neck nervously as he felt their gazes burning into him.

"Well, yeah it-it was Kayla who screamed. Sorry that it woke you all up."

"Is she okay?" Starfire asked worriedly, looking past him to Kayla's room.

"She's fine. Leo's with her. Sorry, again. She shoulda given everyone a heads up. This is somethin' that happens few times a week. It's nothing' too serious. I'll try to get Kay to tell everyone 'bout it tomorrow. You all can just get back ta bed. She's fine."

Robin didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?" he asked uncertainly.

Raph nodded. "Yeah. You guys should jus' get some sleep. She'll be fine." the Titans glanced amongst themselves worriedly for a moment before splitting up and going to their designated rooms. Raph sighed, dropping his shoulders with both relief for getting that over with, and with worry for his sister. He felt someone tap his shoulder. Raph glanced down to see Jordan looking up at him nervously.

"Are you sure she's okay?" she asked worriedly. She almost looked like she was scared.

Raph smiled a bit. "Yeah, she's fine." Jordan looked at him for a long moment and Raph wondered if she was reading his mind.

After a while Jordan nodded. "Okay. Goodnight." she turned and headed up the stairs to where she was sleeping in Raph's room with Beast Boy.

Don and Mike were looking at him expectantly. Raph sighed again. "You two go back to sleep. I'll give Leo a few minutes to calm her down alone before I go back in." Don and Mike nodded to him before heading back to the TV area. Raph leaned against the wall by Kayla's room for about ten minutes before silently slipping back into the room.

Leo glanced up at him from where he was sitting on the edge of Kayla's bed. He had managed to get Kayla to lie down and was rubbing her back to get her to fall asleep. Raph nodded to him before climbing into the other bed. As he rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes he heard Kayla's voice whisper, "Night Raph."

He smiled and opened his eyes. "Night Kay." he whispered back.


	5. Chapter 5

Kayla stared up at the ceiling as she laid awake in her bed. She'd managed to look sleepy enough to convince Leo he could go back to sleep, but the truth was she wasn't tired in the least. She never really was after one of her nightmares. So most times she'd either lie awake in her bed until morning, go watch TV, or go topside to get some fresh air. Well, since Mike and Don were sleeping on the couch and recliner watching TV was out. And her clock said it was only three twenty two in the morning. Kayla sighed quietly as she glanced down at the floor. Leo was lying on his side facing her, his sides gently rising and falling as he slept.

Kayla thought for a moment before glancing at the wall near her bedroom door. Her ninja outfit was hanging from a small hook in the wall with her bow and quiver leaning against the wall below it. If she was careful, and extra quiet, maybe she could sneak past her brothers, change into her gear, and go topside. Kayla took another quiet breath before slowly sitting up in bed. She got to her feet silently and crept around Leo, not making a single sound. When she reached the door she grabbed her gear silently, not looking back for fear of finding Leo staring at her. She quietly slipped out of her room and closed the door behind her.

Kayla glanced around the lair. She knew if any of her brothers saw her she'd be in huge trouble. The only sound and light anywhere was coming from the TVs, which were on with the volume low. Everything else was pitch black. Kayla stepped into the back corner and quickly changed into her ninja gear, tossing her tank top and shorts into the corner. Then, sticking to the shadows, she managed to make it out of the lair through the other entrance instead of the elevator, and finally made it topside. As she put the manhole cover back on she took a deep breath of fresh air, well as fresh as you can get in a city like New York.

She turned around and started leaping and back flipping up the fire escape until she reached the roof. She sat down on the edge of the building looking out over the city for a good twenty minutes. She gazed across the street at the roofs across from her, spacing off. Suddenly movement made her snap to full attention. Kayla narrowed her eyes as she stared at the rooftops across the street. She saw it again. About three shadowy shapes racing across the roofs. Then a few more. Kayla mentally counted about ten shadows. She leaned forward slightly and caught a glimpse of a red foot-sign. Foot ninjas.

Kayla decided to follow them, pulling her mask down from her forehead over her eyes. 'I'm not gonna fight them. I just wanna see what they're up to,' she told herself over and over again. 'Leo doesn't have to know.'

She raced across the rooftops, keeping to the shadows and keeping the ninjas across the street in her view. When she was nearing the docks she saw the group of ninjas drop through the window of an old warehouse with broken windows on an empty street. She slid to a stop to catch her breath. Taking a quick glance around she leapt off the roof and grabbed onto an old street light that wasn't giving off any light. She spun around the top and flipped into the air, landing in an alley right by the warehouse.

She glanced up above her head. There was a broken window above her but it was pretty close to being about second story height. She glanced around the alley and saw there was a dumpster a little to the left of the window against the wall. She smirked before running at the dumpster. She leapt off the side of it, back flipped across the alley, kicked off the wall on the other side of the alley, and landed silently on the window sill. 'Man I'm good,' she thought to herself, 'too bad no one was around to see that.' She peaked into the building. There were several stacks of wooden crates right by the window so she crawled on top of them. Crawling over to the other edge she peaked down to see a group of ninjas all standing in a tight circle, as if talking. Mingled with them were about a dozen other figures. She leaned over a little to get a closer look and hear what they were saying.

Kayla gasped as she felt a sudden weight shove her in the back. Kayla was sent plummeting to the ground. She managed to summersault in the air and landed in a crouched position on her feet, but when she looked up she realized she'd landed in the middle of the circle. She looked back to see a ninja looking down at her from where she had been on the crates. She realized the other people in the circle were wearing some kind of battle suits that were black and silver with an orangish copper circle on the center of their face. They were all hunched over almost like hunchbacks, their hands close to the ground.

Kayla stood and tried to keep her eyes on all of them at once. "I don't suppose you'd let me leave without a fight, would ya?" she asked hopelessly. As the words left her mouth a fist flew towards her. She dodged it and pulled out her bow to block a katana that another ninja swung at her. "I'll take that as a 'no'." she answered herself as more of the ninjas jumped into the fight, followed by the weird-looking hunchback people. Kayla took a blow to the face and was knocked to the ground. She saw a ninja lift its katana, ready to stab it into her chest. She pushed off with her hands and did a high back flip over their heads and made it out of the circle.

Having a few spare seconds she grabbed the headset off her shell cell and put it on, pushing the speed dial button on her cell that was labeled: 'Leo'

"Leo's gonna kill me." she muttered as she leapt up to dodge a punch as she blocked another with the back of her arm.

Leo groaned as he forced his eyes to open. He reached up to Kayla's desk where he heard his shell cell vibrating. He sat up as he grabbed it. Wiping his eyes from sleep to see he glanced over and saw Kayla's bed empty. He didn't even need to look at the caller ID as he answered the phone.

"Kayla, you've got some serious explaining to do." he spoke into the phone. He saw Raph twitch in his sleep before lifting his head up and looking at Leo.

Kayla's voice answered from the other line, "Uh, yeah I know. Could you, um, come and get me?" Leo heard the sound of metal against concrete.

"What did you do?" he asked as he stood up, holding the phone between his shoulder and ear as he slid on his katana sheaths.

"Well, here's an idea; you come get me and I'll explain everything when I'm not FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE AGAINST ALMOST TWO DOZEN FOOT NINJAS!" Leo had to pull the phone from his ear slightly because of her yelling. Raph must've heard what she said because he jumped out of the bed and grabbed his sais, following Leo out of the room.

As Leo headed toward the TV area he asked, "Do you know where you are?" he asked as he tapped Don on the head to wake him.

"Um, well I know I'm in an abandoned warehouse. And I know I saw the docks nearby on my way here. But I wasn't exactly paying attention to street signs on my way here." she answered back sarcastically.

"We'll have Don try and trace your cell signal." Leo answered as Don got up and headed for his computer.

"Now, while he's doing that, care to explain why you're not sleeping safe and sound in the lair at almost four in the morning?" Leo asked calmly into the phone. He heard Raph cracking his knuckles near him.

"I needed some fresh air. I couldn't fall back asleep after…you know…so I decided to go topside."

"And pick a fight with a dozen members of the Foot?" Leo added sarcastically.

"Okay, to be fair, I wasn't planning on fighting them. I snuck in after them to see what they were doing. They found me, it's not my fault."

"Not you fault?" Leo repeated, feeling the need to bang his head into a door. "So whose fault is it then?" he asked sarcastically.

"Okay Leo-" the line cut off before he could hear her finish.

"Kayla? Kayla!" Leo shouted into the phone. He turned to Don at the computer, "Don I lost her signal."

"I've got her. Down by the docks. Lets go." Don grabbed his bow as Raph moved to wake Mikey, who was still sleeping on the couch.

"Wake up ya moron!" he smacked Mikey in the forehead as he shouted at him. Mikey snorted before jerking awake.

"Huh? What?" Mikey looked around lazily. "Is it lunch time already?"

Leo headed for the elevator. "C'mon Mike. We gotta go save Kayla."

Mike jumped off the sofa and the four brothers headed for the elevator.

"Where are you guys going?" a voice asked from behind them.

They all stopped and looked behind them. Jordan was standing there in a baggy, hooded sweatshirt that she must've been sleeping in.

"Nowhere." Leo answered. "It's just a family thing. We'll be back in a few hours."

Jordan gave him a look suggesting that she didn't believe him. "You know, since we're all working together and all, and we have to share all our information with you I think it's only fair for you to do the same."

"But this has nothing to do with Slade." Leo pointed out.

"Is Kayla in trouble?" Jordan asked, her voice and eyes giving away her concern.

Leo was silent for a moment. He could feel Raph getting impatient. "I promise we'll tell you everything when we get back, but we have to go. We'll be back in a few hours." Leo promised. Jordan watched as the four turtles raced to the elevator and the doors closed behind them.

Kayla hissed in pain as she clutched her right arm with her free hand. One of the ninjas had been fast enough to slash her lower arm with his katana, just below her elbow. She panted as she front flipped away from them, leaping off a ninja's head in the process. She shot an arrow at a ninja, the arrow stabbing into its shoulder. She was tired and losing energy fast. When she was talking to Leo on her headset one of the Foot had managed to slice the mouthpiece off with its sword, barely missing her face.

She jumped back missing another sword, but wasn't fast enough as the ninja ducked down and swept its leg around, knocking her feet out from under her. She landed hard on her back, the wind knocked out of her. When she looked up the ninja raised the sword above its head, preparing to stab down into her chest, the others all standing back watching. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the pain.

"Haven't any a' you losers eva' heard the term 'fair fight'?" a familiar voice asked as Kayla heard the sound of metal against metal and several thumps. She opened her eyes to see Raph standing over her with his back to her; his sais crossed above his head blocking the sword that was going to take her life.

Glancing around she saw her other brothers around her fighting other Foot members as well as the hunch-backs. Raph lifted his leg and kicked the ninja away before turning and offering his hand to Kayla. Kayla took it and he pulled her to her feet.

"Thanks." she panted, picking her bow up off the ground.

"Don't thank me yet. When we get home you're dead." Raph threatened before leaping into the fight with his brothers. Kayla followed. As she took out two ninjas with one arrow, cutting a bunch of crates loose with the arrow and knocking them out, she realized that over a dozen more Foot ninjas and hunchback things had shown up and joined the fight. The odds were about one to eight.

She was fighting alongside Leo, both fighting a couple of the strange hunchbacks. They had these handle-looking things that shot lasers out of them. Leo used his katana blades to deflect them. Leo took a slice with his katana as its arm. His katana sliced straight through, cutting off its arm. Leo and Kayla jerked back in surprise. Wires, circuits, and cables were sticking out of where its arm was cut off.

Kayla and Leo looked at each other, their mouths open in shock. "They're robots." Kayla whispered. Leo shrugged before leaping back into the fight.

Kayla backed away from three Foot and two robots that were approaching her. Her back bumped into something and she looked over her shoulder, her eyes meeting the chocolate brown eyes of Donatello. They were back to back surrounded by about seven ninjas and five robots. Two ninjas rushed her and she back flipped over Don's head shouting, "Behind you!" he spun and knocked them out with his bow staff as she landed and spun to face the ones who'd been advancing on Don. In a split second she had an arrow out and aimed and before they could blink she shot. The arrow shot with such force it caught the shirt of one ninja and sent him flying back into two others. Kayla smirked smugly for a moment before seeing four other ninjas take their place.

She knocked one away, her back against Don's shell as the circle slowly closed in on them. She knew they couldn't last much longer. They had to get out. Trying to evaluate her options she glanced up toward the ceiling. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully when she saw a ventilation shaft running along the ceiling about thirty feet above her head. She spun her bow above her and knocked a robot away from her before turning to Don.

"Don, gimme a leg up." Don turned and held his bow staff parallel to the ground about knee height. Kayla put her bow back over her shoulder, placed a hand on Don's shoulder for balance, one foot on the staff, and Don heaved his staff up; shooting Kayla straight into the air like a rocket.

As she sailed through the air she pulled an arrow out of her quiver and gripped it in her fist near the arrowhead. She slammed into the shaft with a thud and gripped the edge with her free hand. Shifting so she had a good grip with her left hand and stabbed her arrow into the bolt that held this section to the wall. She stabbed it once more and suddenly felt the shaft lurch. At that moment did Kayla realize how old and worn it was. It lurched once more beneath her weight.

"Crap." she whispered, maybe this wasn't the best idea. At that moment the other bolts holding the ventilation shaft in place broke, sending the shaft and Kayla plummeting to the ground below. Kayla's grip on the edge slipped.

"Look out!" she yelled. She was falling with the entire length of the shaft only a few feet above her. She landed on her back on top of a ninjas body on the concrete floor, feeling pain shoot through every part of her body, the breath was knocked out of her. Her eyes opened and she instinctively rolled off the body onto her side and curled into a ball, her arms covering her head.

The ventilation shaft landed was a loud crash. Because of the Foot ninja bodies and robots covering the floor the full weight of the shaft didn't completely crush her, but Kayla did feel its weight on top of her, squishing her between it and the floor. Kayla was gasping for breath. The weight of the shaft right on her rib cage, making it hard for her to breath. To make it harder the impact had sent up clouds of dust and smoke.

She was pinned on the ground by the shaft. She tried to slide forward to get out from under it but she couldn't budge, and it hurt when she tried. She could hear her brothers' voices calling for her.

"Kayla!"

"Kay! Where are you?"

"Do you think she's alright?"

"She betta' be."

Kayla couldn't summon the breath to call for them. She saw her arrow that she'd used to break the bolts near her. She grabbed it and tried to wave it around.

"Guys! I think I see something!" she closed her eyes in relief when she heard Don's voice. "Guys! I found her! I need some help!"

"Don, use your bow to lift it off her." Leo instructed.

Kayla saw Don's bow staff reach a little under the shaft. He used one of the Foot ninja bodies right by her for leverage and he used his bow as a lever. She felt the shaft lift slightly as two pairs of hands grabbed her under her arms and gently pulled her out.

Leo and Raph laid Kayla out on her back, slipping her quiver and bow off her. She coughed a few times before opening her eyes.

"Oh good, you're alive." Raph remarked, "Now I'm gonna kill ya!" he shouted at her.

"Raph knock it off." Leo pushed him back a bit and helped Kayla sit up, Mikey coming up behind her to support her back. Leo looked her over. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm fine." she answered, her voice harsh and scratchy, pushing Leo's hands away from her. She shakily stood up and took her gear from her brothers. "Can we go home now?" she asked, already walking towards the back entrance. Her brothers looked at each other.

"We'll talk to her about it back at the lair," Leo whispered so she wouldn't hear, "more Foot might be on their way." his brothers nodded in agreement before following after Kayla.

When the elevator door opened Kayla hurried out of it and headed straight for her room. It had been awkwardly silent the entire way home and she knew they were saving the lecture for home. She just wanted to get away from them and hide.

She was almost at her bedroom door when she heard, "Ahem," she stopped in her tracks, afraid to turn around, "where do you think you're going?" Leo asked from a few feet behind her. She glanced at him from over her shoulder.

"To my room." she answered simply as she took another step towards her room. She felt a hand on her shoulder and stopped.

"I don't think so. For one; in a fall like that there's no way you don't have a single injury. For two; you have A LOT of explaining to do."

Kayla rolled her eyes as she turned around to face him, crossing her arms. "Leo, I'm perfectly fine. I was a little sore and all but I'm fine now." Kayla stared up at Leo, trying to show no signs of pain, so she didn't see Michelangelo sneak up behind her.

Kayla yelped in pain when he lightly poked her in the rib. She glared at him and he giggled nervously before running away and hiding behind Raph. She looked back at Leo, who was giving her an 'I told you so' look with his arms crossed. She lowered her head and gritted her teeth in embarrassment. Leo steered her towards Don's lab, where Don was waiting with some medical equipment.

"Can you sit here, please?" Don asked as he gestured to a table. Kayla took off her bow and quiver and obeyed, since he seemed to be the only one being nice about it. He rolled her sleeve up to her elbow to uncover the cut on her arm just below her elbow. Then he took a damp cloth and started cleaning the blood away. After he completely cleaned it up he wrapped a bandage around it.

"Can you lie down on this machine now, please? I need to get an X-ray."

Kayla sighed as she moved from one table to the other, lying down on the X-ray table. Don covered her with a lead blanket and she waited a few moments. While she waited she glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was a little past six in the morning. An X-ray picture printed and Don looked it over. Kayla waited nervously.

"Uh huh, just what I thought. You have a small fracture in your left ribs. There's not much I can do about it. You'll just have to be careful and I may have to write you a note to get you out of gym for a few weeks." Don looked at her apologetically. Kayla sighed in disappointment.

"Huh, good." Raph spoke from where he was leaning in the doorway of Don's lab, his arms crossed, "Now maybe we can keep ya outta trouble for a while."

Kayla glared at him. "Shut up." she grumbled as she looked back at the floor.

"Ey, don't go blamin' me for all 'dis. Ya shoulda stayed home in da' first place, an' not of gone runnin'off lookin' for trouble." Raph shouted back stepping into the lab.

"I wasn't looking for trouble!" she shouted back at him, getting off the table.

"Uh, guys." Don tried to calm his arguing siblings down but they took no notice. He glanced nervously out at Leo and Mikey, who were standing just outside the lab watching since there wasn't any room left in the small lab. Robin, Jordan, and Raven appeared next to them, having been woken up by the commotion.

"Oh right! Runnin' around followin' Foot ninjas 'round the city definitely ain't lookin' for trouble." Raph remarked back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"You don't even know what all happened! Why don't you check your facts before going around yelling at me?" Kayla got in Raph's face.

"Don't start givin' me attitude, Kay. If you get hurt it's on ME, an' I'm not gonna stand there an' let ya get hurt doin' somethin' stupid."

"Why are you such a jerk?" Kayla yelled, shoving her brother away from her face.

Instinctively Raph pushed back accidentally using too much force. Kayla was slammed into the edge of the table and yelped in pain, clutching her side with her hand. Raph's eyes widened as he realized what he did. He stepped toward her, his arms out offering to help.

"Kay, I-I didn't mean…it was,"

"Yeah, I know." Kayla interrupted, pushing his hands away from her as she bit back the pain. "It was an accident. It always is." Her voice sounded a little angry, but when she glanced up at him her eyes were forgiving. Feeling the eyes of all her brothers as well as a few of the Titans burning into her she pushed past Raph out of the lab, heading for her room. When she'd only made it about five feet Leo stepped in her path, blocking her. She stood only a couple inches from him, staring at the ground to avoid making eye contact with anyone.

Leo tilted his head to see her face. "Is your side okay?" he asked.

Kayla nodded tensely, wanting to hide.

"Are you okay?" Jordan asked with concern.

"I fractured my rib." Kayla answered, "Nothing I can't handle."

"Maybe Raven could heal it for you." Jordan suggested, looking at Raven hopefully. Raven nodded with a shrug, suggesting she could if they wanted.

"If that's alright with you." Robin added to Leo. Leo thought for a moment while Kayla looked up at him hopefully.

"Alright, but only her ribs. She can survive with a small cut on her arm for a few weeks." Leo answered. Raven nodded as she stepped up to Kayla.

"This…isn't going to hurt…is it?" she asked Raven nervously.

"No." Raven answered in her usual monotone voice as she held her hands near Kayla's ribs. There was a glowing blue that surrounded Raven's hands for a few seconds before it stopped and she pulled her hands away. Kayla poked her ribs experimentally. Then she poked them again a little harder. She smiled looking up at Raven.

"Thank you." she said to Raven, who nodded.

"You're welcome." she answered.

"Now would anyone care to explain what exactly happened?" Robin asked with his arms crossed. Leo looked down at Kayla, who met his eyes with a look of pure dread on her face.

"Kayla." Leo said with a warning tone in his voice. Kayla sighed. She knew better than to argue with that voice.

"I'll explain everything that happened tonight, but…I'd like to explain it only once if that's alright. So, you need to make sure everyone's here to hear it." she said to Robin, looking at the ground. Robin nodded as he headed to go wake up his teammates. Kayla stared at the ground for a few moments, waiting until she was alone with Leo. "Hey, Leo," she looked up at him. Leo looked down at her, his brown eyes gentle but expressionless. "Could you, um, well I was wondering if, uh. Would you,"

"I'll be right beside you." Leo promised, putting his hand on her shoulder. Kayla smiled up at him in relief.


	6. Chapter 6

All the Titans were groggily coming down the stairs and sitting down in the TV area. Even Master Splinter had left his room and was sitting on the recliner. Kayla stood in front of the TV's facing them, Leo standing next to her. Her other brothers all stood behind the couch.

Beast Boy rubbed his eyes as he followed Jordan to the couch. "Ugh, why do we have to get up so early?" he groaned. Jordan elbowed him. He looked around and everyone was looking at him. "Uh, hehe sorry."

When everyone was waiting patiently Leo nudged Kayla's arm with his elbow. Kayla looked up at him nervously. He smiled down at her and she felt a little better. She took a deep breath as she faced her audience.

"Well, um, for starters I'd just like to say…sorry…for waking all of you up last night. I…it's not really something I can control. Ever since I was about…seven?" she glanced back at Leo. He looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, about seven," she continued, "I've been having nightmares. I started out having nightmares maybe a few times a month. My brothers and father had no idea why I was having such bad nightmares at such a young age. And none of us really understood the nightmares either."

"What were they about?" Raven asked from her spot on the arm of the couch.

Kayla took a deep breath. "When I first started having them they didn't really make any sense. Usually I'd hear a woman screaming, sometimes I would hear a baby crying, but nearly everytime I would see this thing, I didn't know what it was when I was younger and I didn't know how to explain it. I know now that it's a gauntlet; you wear it on your wrist and there's two sharp blades on the top. Well, in nearly every nightmare I had it would end with that gauntlet swinging towards me. Sometimes I had different nightmares but most of them consisted of that. The nightmares stayed consistent for a few years and even kinda faded off when I was about nine or ten. Then, when I was about twelve my brothers and I met the Shredder for the first time. It was probably our first REAL fight we've ever had, he nearly killed us. After we beat him and thought he was dead my nightmares suddenly escalated. I would have a nightmare nearly every night. It got to the point where Leo would sometimes sleep in my bed with me."

Kayla looked at the floor, embarrassed that she shared her bed with her brother. "Then, when we met the Shredder again he said something to me. Something like, 'You should join me. You don't belong with these freaks. You're my daughter.'" Kayla chuckled a little, "Kinda like a Star Wars flashback, huh?" the Titans chuckled a little and Mikey burst out laughing. Raph had to smack him to shut him up.

"I didn't believe him, obviously. When we got home Master Splinter could tell I was mad. He asked me what happened and I told him what the Shredder said. I waited for him to say how ridiculous that sounded and that I shouldn't believe a thing the Shredder says, but instead he looked horrified…scared even."

Kayla glanced at her father. His head was bowed and his eyes were closed, listening. "That's when he told me about my mother and how the Shredder, my father, murdered her. She used to be a member of the Foot Clan, and not just any member. She was the most skilled ninja in the clan. Shredder noticed her skills and they…spent a night…together. About a month later, in a fight my mother was inured and left behind. That's when Master Yoshi found her. He took her in and nursed her back to health. She stayed with him for over a month. She knew who he was and that he was working for the Shredder's enemies, but she was in no condition to fight him. She stayed and actually ended up learning a lot about honor from him. She'd always been honorable but it was Yoshi who helped her realize that what she and the Foot were doing was wrong. She and Yoshi actually became good friends and they learned a lot about each other. Then after a few weeks she found out she was pregnant, by the Shredder. She knew that he had the Foot and Purple dragons out looking for her. She had to get out. Yoshi told her to go back to Japan but she didn't want to leave him alone in New York. So she just stayed hidden in New York. She managed to avoid capture until she went into labor. She managed to contact Master Splinter, since she heard about what happened to him and knew him from when he was Master Yoshi's pet. He agreed to take care of me until she was safe enough to come back and get me."

Kayla looked at the ground, "She never got the chance." she murmured. Kayla felt Leo rest his hand on her shoulder. "Some Foot ninjas and Purple dragons found her and took her to the Shredder. The punishment for betraying the Foot was death. And since she refused to tell him where their child was he killed her." Kayla hugged her arms as she shivered, thinking about her nightmares. "That's what my nightmares are about. Even though I was only about two days old and wasn't even there when it happened…I'm forced to watch my mother die over and over. And sometimes it isn't her. Sometimes I'm in her place. Sometimes I see Shredder kill my father and brothers. Sometimes my friends."

Kayla squeezed her eyes shut, digging her nails into her arms. She felt Leo pull her into a side hug. She took a deep breath. "So, uh, that's pretty much it. That's why I wasn't too comfortable with you guys staying here." Kayla shrugged and looked at the ground.

"Wait," Beast Boy spoke up, "That was it?" Kayla looked at him in confusion and Jordan jabbed him with her elbow. "No, I mean; that's why you didn't want us staying here? Because you were embarrassed about the nightmares?"

Kayla felt herself blush a little. "Well, yeah, I mean, I hate the fact that I always wake up my brothers and father with my nightmares and I didn't want to do that to you."

"Oh!" Jordan exclaimed, "So, it's not because you don't like us or anything?"

"Are you kidding?" Kayla chuckled a little, "When Leo and Robin first agreed to you guys staying here the first thing that popped into my mind was, 'Oh my God! The Teen Titans are going to be staying here? At my house? This is AWESOME!'" Kayla held her hands up in emphasis. The Titans and her brothers all laughed, Kayla even heard her father chuckle a little. "I was just a little…afraid…that you guys would, like, hate me, or something." Kayla shrugged slightly with a smirk.

"You kiddin'?" Cyborg spoke up from where he was standing by the sofa, "How could we hate someone like you? I mean, we put up with Beast Boy, don't we?" everyone laughed except for Beast Boy, who turned and glared up at is friend. "But seriously," Cyborg continued, "you're awesome. I mean, we've all seen you fight. You even gave Robin a run for his money. And to add to that you've a great personality and sense of honor." Kayla felt herself blush and looked at the ground, she wasn't used to getting this much praise and being the center of attention.

"Cyborg's right." Robin added, "Everyone has their own little flaws and quirks. Like Beast Boy and his tofu." everyone laughed again.

"And Cyborg and his obsession with making every meal meat-based." Jordan put in, feeling a slight need to defend BB since everyone else was picking on him.

After the laughing had subsided Kayla spoke up a little. "Wow. You guys really are awesome."

Cyborg shrugged. "We try." everyone chuckled again.

Leo stepped up. "Well, if no one has anything else to say then I think we might as well get started on our work." most the teens waiting before him nodded but there were a few groans.

Master Splinter stood from his chair. "Well, if there is nothing else that needs to be said, Kayla, I wish to speak with you." Kayla nodded and followed her father to his room. When they reached the door Splinter turned around. "Oh, Leonardo, I would like for you to wait by my door until I call you in."

Kayla heard her brother murmur, "Yes, Sensei." as she closed the sliding, Japanese-style door behind her. Kayla entered the room and knelt on the ground before her father. She waited tensely for the lecture she was sure she was going to get.

After several moments of silence Master Splinter finally spoke. "Kayla, tell me why you went to the surface when you did."

Kayla continued to stare at the ground as she took a deep breath. "After I have a nightmare I usually can't fall back asleep. I usually do something to pass the time until morning. If it's pretty close to the usual time I wake up I just lie in bed until I feel like getting out of bed. If it's still really early then I'll either watch some TV or go topside to clear my head. So, I went topside."

There was a long moment of silence before her father responded, "So, what made this time any different than all the others?"

Kayla's eyes widened as she took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I don't know, I guess…I guess maybe because I decided to follow that group of Foot Ninjas. I wasn't planning on fighting them. I just wanted to see what they were up to, but I guess that was pretty stupid of me. I should've just ignored it or called Leo or something." Kayla looked back up at her father, afraid he would forbid her from going topside without a babysitter or something. Her father's eyes were closed and his head was bowed, as if he were in meditation. She waited patiently for him to say something. His silence was almost scarier than his anger.

"Will you make this same mistake again?" Splinter asked, surprising Kayla as he suddenly spoke.

Kayla shook her head, "No, Sensei. I promise. From now on if I'm topside alone and I see something like that I'll call my brothers." Master Splinter smiled at her, his whiskers lifting as he did.

"Good." he said. He slowly stood and walked around the small table that separated them. Kayla stood and waited. He pulled her into a hug, she was only about three or four inches taller than him. "I'm glad you are safe, my Daughter." he whispered. Kayla smiled and hugged tighter, feeling like she would cry any moment. They pulled away and Master Splinter called in the direction of the door, "Leonardo. Enter, my son."

The door slid open and Leo stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He approached until he was standing next to Kayla and in front of their father.

"Leonardo, I wish for you to decide on Kayla's punishment for her activities of this morning. What punishment do you see fit for her actions?" Splinter looked up at his son expectantly. Kayla turned to look up at him also. She was actually a little afraid of what he'd choose. He could easily do something like keep her out of patrols for a month, or he could take away her skateboard, or worse…he could lock her in a room with Mikey! She could see Leo looking at her from the corner of his eye, watching for her reaction as he decided.

"How about…she has to stay in her bedroom, alone until I tell her she can come out. To give her time to think about what she did." Leo suggested.

Kayla's jaw dropped slightly. "That's it?" her voice squeaked a little in surprise.

Leo smirked down at her. "Well, if you want I can leave Mikey in there to keep you company."

"No! No, no that's fine." Kayla chuckled nervously. "That's a fair punishment, and I deserve it." Leo rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face. They both bowed to their father before leaving the room, Kayla following behind Leo as he lead the way to Kayla's bedroom.

"Hey Kayla!" Mikey called as he ran by, stopping in front of her, "A bunch of us are having a big Halo 3 face-off. Winner gets to choose what's for dinner tonight. Want in?"

Kayla sighed with a small smile. "Sorry, Mike. I'm grounded. Maybe some other time." she shrugged and moved around him to follow Leo.

"Alright, well, have fun." Mikey gave her a thumbs up and raced to the couch.

Leo opened her door and let her walk in. She sighed as she looked back at him. "How long do I have to be in here?" she asked him, her voice almost a whine.

Leo looked up at the ceiling as if he was thinking. "I'm not sure…Guess you'll just have to wait until I decide to come and get you." he smiled looking down at her. Kayla crossed her arms and made a pouting face. Leo just waved and closed her door.

"Ugh!" Kayla dropped her head back, looking up at the ceiling as her shoulders drooped. She glanced around her room, trying to decide on what to do.

Jordan groaned as her and Raven left the dojo. They'd been mentally searching the city from about seven that morning and it was going on eleven. Raven had decided to stop since this was their third day in a row with nothing to show for their efforts.

Raven went to the kitchen to get herself some tea. Jordan saw Robin and Don at the computer. They looked like they were watching some surveillance videos. Jordan decided to see if there was anything interesting on any of them. As she headed toward them she past Kayla's bedroom. When Jordan was near the door she stopped. She leaned her head a little closer to the door, listening. She could hear someone playing the guitar.

(If Everyone Cared by: Nickelback)

_From underneath the trees, we watch the sky_

_Confusing stars for satellites _

_I never dreamed that you'd be mine_

_But here we are, we're here tonight_

Jordan's eyes widened as she heard Kayla's voice. She never knew Kayla sang, but…she was really good. Jordan leaned her shoulder on the wall by the door so she could listen. The singing was sort of calming her mind after being all stressed out trying to find Slade and all.

_Singing Amen I, I'm alive_

_Singing Amen I, I'm alive_

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

Jordan inadvertently felt herself slip into Kayla's thoughts and realized Kayla wasn't just singing. She was remembering. Jordan could see memories flashing through Kayla's mind. Jordan could see them as if she were looking out through Kayla's eyes. She saw a few flashes of a group of boys. They were getting in Kayla's face and saying things. She felt a pain in her chest and a feeling like tears in her eyes and knew she was feeling Kayla's feelings, too. She also saw a few flashes of muggers and ninjas. Her memories were sort of matching the lyrics as she sang them.

_And I'm singing Amen I, amen I, I'm alive_

_Amen I, amen I, amen I, I'm alive_

_And in the air the fireflies_

_Our only light in paradise_

_We'll show the world they were wrong_

_And teach them all to sing along_

Jordan jumped slightly when she saw a shadow appear beside her. She looked up beside her and saw Leo standing by her. She blushed at being caught listening to Kayla's singing.

"She's good." Jordan said, not sure what else to say.

"Yeah, she is. She's a little self-conscious about it though. She loves singing and playing the guitar but she's really shy about it sometimes, even though she's performed in front of huge crowds before." Leo shrugged. They both stood silently as they listened some more.

_Singing Amen I, I'm alive_

_Singing Amen I, I'm alive_

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_When nobody died_

Jordan felt herself get shivers as she heard Kayla vocalize on the word 'died'. She had a very strong voice.

_And as we lie beneath the stars_

_We realize how small we are_

_If they could love like you and me_

_Imagine what the world could be_

Leo looked back down at Jordan. "I think she's been in there long enough. I need to go talk to Robin. Could you go in and tell her she can come out?" he asked. Jordan nodded but seemed to hesitate. Leo smirked. "You can wait for the song to end if you'd like."

Jordan smirked up at him. "Hey. I thought I was the only telepath around here." she scolded jokingly. Leo chuckled as he left her to talk to Robin and Don at the computers. Jordan went back to listening.

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_If everyone cared and nobody cried_

_If everyone loved and nobody lied_

_If everyone shared and swallowed their pride_

_Then we'd see the day when nobody died_

_We'd see the day when nobody died_

_We'd see the day when nobody died_

_We'd see the day when nobody died_

_Nobody Died_

As the last chord faded out Jordan knocked on the door. She heard a quiet "Come in." and she entered the room. Kayla was sitting on the edge of her bed across the room, holding her guitar on her lap in the playing position.

"Hi." Kayla said as Jordan entered.

"Hi." Jordan said back. "Leo said you can come out now."

"Really?" Kayla glanced over at the small clock on her desk, "Wow, I didn't realize what time it was." the two girls laughed a little.

"Probably too busy performing." Jordan nodded to the guitar.

Kayla's face turned red. "You heard that?" Jordan nodded and Kayla hid her face in her hand.

"You're really good if that makes it less embarrassing." Jordan pointed out as she sat next to Kayla on her bed.

"Thanks." Kayla smiled gently as she set her guitar back on its stand. They stood quietly for a few moments.

"So," Jordan wanted to end the awkward silence, "what exactly happened last night…that you came back with a fractured rib?"

Kayla took a deep breath. "Well, long story short I got into a fight with a huge group of Foot ninjas and robot things. I called my brothers for backup. They showed up. We fought them. Don and I were surrounded so I jumped up and broke the ventilation shaft off the wall and it fell on me. On the bright side it knocked out all the other ninjas and crushed the robots." Kayla shrugged like it was no big deal before staring off at the far wall. Jordan couldn't help but slip into Kayla's thoughts.

Kayla was thinking about the fight. Jordan was seeing through Kayla's eyes. She saw herself being surrounded by ninjas. Then there were a few hunched-over people that she couldn't completely make out from the shadows. Several ninjas were jumping in front of Kayla and fighting her but one by one she swept them away. Then a face concealed by a black mask with a single orange circle in the center leapt in to face her. Jordan's thoughts were shattered and she regained her normal vision.

She stared at Kayla from across the room, her mouth opened slightly. Kayla looked over and noticed Jordan staring at her.

"What?" she asked a little uncomfortably.

"You said you were attacked by robots?" Jordan asked to be sure.

Kayla nodded. "And the Foot."

Jordan waved her hand, signaling for Kayla to follow her. Kayla did and Jordan lead her over to the computers. Leo, Robin, and Don had moved and were talking among themselves near the kitchen.

Kayla watched as Jordan typed away at the keyboard until Slade's file popped up. Using the mouse Jordan scrolled down the screen and stopped to open a file. A profile popped up showing a picture of one of the robots Kayla and her brothers fought. Kayla's jaw dropped slightly.

Jordan pointed at the picture. "Was that what the robots looked like?"

Kayla nodded, not taking her eyes off the screen. Jordan looked over at Kayla and their eyes met.

"Those robots work for Slade."


	7. Chapter 7

**I AM SO SO SO SORRY TO ANYONE WHO ACTUALLY LIKES THIS STORY FOR NOT UPDATING FOR SO LONG! I was working on two different stories at the same time and I kinda stopped working on this one! But I promise I will try to work on this one as best I can. I'm not sure when I'll update again, but here's the long-overdue Chapter 7!**

**XXX**

"That's…that's not possible." Kayla whispered as the information sank in.

"We've gotta tell Robin and Leo." Jordan pointed out. Kayla nodded and the two raced across the lair.

"Robin! Leo! Robin! Leo!" they shouted together until they both slid to a stop in the kitchen.

"What is it?" Leo demanded worriedly.

Jordan nodded to Kayla, telling her to start. Kayla took a deep breath. "Remember those robot things we fought last night?" she asked. Leo nodded.

Jordan stepped in. "They work for Slade." Robin and Leo's faces dropped as they exchanged a glance.

"Are you sure?" Robin asked Jordan anxiously.

Jordan nodded. "I slipped into Kayla's mind and I saw the fight through her eyes. I'd know those robots anywhere, Robin. Then, I showed her the picture we have of one on our Slade file. She agreed it's the same robot." by now the other turtles and Titans had gathered around to listen.

Leo's arms were crossed and he was studying the floor nervously. "If that's true, then that means…Slade and the Shredder might be working together." he looked up at the faces of his brothers and the Titans.

"But why would the Shredder want to team up with someone like Slade?" Don asked in confusion.

Kayla shrugged, "Maybe he's just using Slade until he gets what he wants, then maybe he'll kill him or something. Sounds like something he'd do."

"Either way it doesn't matter. We need to find out what they plan on doing. They're both dangerous criminals and having them working together won't be good for anyone." Robin pointed out.

"Then, what shall we do?" Starfire asked as she came to stand beside Robin.

Leo thought for a moment. He turned to Robin. "They might've been up to something last night at that warehouse. Maybe we should all go check it out tonight and see if we can find anything that'll give us answers."

Robin considered it for a moment. "Yeah. That's probably our best bet."

Raph cracked his knuckles. "Alright, time ta kick some shell." he smirked wickedly and Kayla couldn't help but smirk, too.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Raph, we just want to look for some clues. We'd like to do this without a fight for once."

"Says who?" Raph asked sarcastically with a smirk.

Leo sighed again. "Alright, we'll probably leave here around…eight o'clock?" he turned to check with Robin, who nodded.

Kayla smirked and did a fist bump with Mikey, "Yes! This is gonna be awesome!" she laughed. She caught Leo's eye as he looked over at her.

"Actually, Kay…you're not coming." Leo stated.

Kayla's jaw dropped. "What?" she asked like she couldn't believe what she just heard.

Mike and Don glanced at each other.

Mikey shrugged slightly. "Fight?"

Don nodded. "Fight."

"TV?"

"TV."

Mikey whispered, "Anyone who doesn't want to be caught in the crossfire's can come, too." everyone followed except Raph, Jordan, and Robin.

"Why can't I come, too?" Kayla demanded, not really noticing everyone had left.

"Kayla, it's nothing personal. But tonight's a school night for one thing. For another, after what happened last night I'm not so sure I can trust you to obey my orders." Raph tried not to laugh knowing Leo was digging himself into a hole with that comment.

"Seriously, Leo? I can't believe you! I'm a member of this family, I have as much right to go tonight as anyone." Leo raised an eye ridge at her threateningly so she tried changing her approach. "Leo, Please! I know I screwed up last night! I made a mistake! And I'm sorry! At least give me a chance to make it up to everyone. Please?" Kayla stared up at Leo pleadingly, waiting for him to say something.

Leo narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, his arms still crossed over his chest. Raph, Robin, and Jordan waited anxiously to hear what Leo was going to say.

The silence was broken at last as Leo sighed heavily shaking his head. He looked down at Kayla, his eyes meeting hers. "Fine, on one condition." Leo held up his first finger. Kayla clasped her hands together and nodded vigorously. "It's still a school night. No matter what happens tonight I want you home no later than eleven o'clock. Even if it means someone has to escort you home, I don't care. Deal?"

Kayla laughed a little and Leo couldn't help but smirk. "Deal." Kayla answered.

XXX

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty!" a voice shouted into Kayla's ear. Kayla squinted before forcing her eyes open. She looked up into a pair of familiar blue eyes behind a bright orange mask.

She glared up at Mikey. "What did you just call me?" she grumbled.

Mikey laughed nervously. "Uh…hehehe. Time to get up." Mikey ran away screaming his famous girl-scream as Kayla propped herself up on her elbow on the couch. She'd dozed off around one thirty while her, Jordan, Mikey, and Beast Boy had been watching TV. Kayla stretched as she glanced up at the clock on the wall. It was 7:46. She wiped her hand down her face as she got off the couch and went to her room to change.

As she came out of her room she was tying her mask around her forehead, where she usually wore it. She grabbed her bow and quiver and slipped them over her shoulders.

Raph walked up cracking his knuckles. "Ya ready?" he asked with a smirk.

Kayla smiled and straightened out the black, tight shirt she wore as part of her ninja outfit. "Yep."

Leo was standing at the elevator door. "Come on everyone. Let's get going." he called. Kayla glanced at Raph and the two followed the rest of their group to the elevator. Once the large group of teens were in the warehouse the turtles and Kayla got in the Battle Shell while the Titans all got in the T-car.

Don lead in the Battle Shell to the warehouse they fought in the night before. They pulled into an alley a couple buildings away and got out, sneaking over the rooftops to their destination. As they stopped at the edge of the rooftop and looked down at the warehouse Kayla pulled her mask down over her eyes, her brown eyes peering out through the two eye holes. She couldn't see any movement but that didn't necessarily mean it was empty.

"Alright, lets go." Leo whispered. The group slinked into the building the same way Kayla had the night before, through the broken window. Looking around the building seemed empty. There weren't any Foot ninjas or robots like the previous night.

"Well, nothing but a creepy, old warehouse. Lets go home." Mikey suggested quickly.

"Wait," Leo put his hand up to stop them, "something…doesn't feel right."

Kayla's eyes scanned the empty building. "Maybe we should check it out?" she suggested quietly. Leo looked at her thoughtfully for a moment.

"Alright, I'll go down. Kayla, Don, Raph, Robin, and Raven; you're with me. The rest of you stay here and cover us, just in case." the group nodded before the selected teens followed Leo down to the ground floor. They stayed grouped together so they could watch each others backs, any weapons they had were posed for defense.

Kayla's eyes were narrowed as she scanned the dark building with everyone else. It seemed quiet, but whether that was good or bad she couldn't tell.

A weight knocked her away just as a shadow flew by her. Kayla rolled on the ground until she was on one knee, her bow and arrow posed to strike. She stiffened in horror along with everyone else.

Several yards away from them, Leo was on his back, his katanas on the ground between him and their group. Standing above him was a woman Foot ninja, her black hair cut just above her shoulders, and a red band tied around her forehead. She stood with one foot planted firmly on Leo's plastron, her katana pointed at his throat.

"Very noble, Leonardo." she commented, clearly referring to him pushing Kayla out of the way as she aimed for the young teen. "But it clearly didn't work as well as you hoped."

"Karai!" Raph shouted angrily, clutching his sais in his fists. "Let him go!"

Kayla stayed in her crouched position and aimed her arrow at Karai's chest, about to strike.

"Do that, Kayla, and I plunge this katana through your brother's chest." Karai threatened calmly as she turned her head and looked in Kayla's direction. Kayla flinched at the threat and her eyes shifted to her brother. He wasn't looking at her, he was glaring up at the ninja holding him down.

A hand gently took her wrist that was holding her bow, causing her to look up. Don nodded to her. She took a shaky breath before letting her bow go slack and standing up.

Karai was still looking in their direction. "I see you've made some new…allies. You certainly have a way of meeting people as…unusual as you." she commented, looking back down at Leo.

"At least they've always known what side they're on." Leo snapped bitterly. Karai shifted her katana closer to his throat.

"I wouldn't be speaking like that in your position, Leonardo. I doubt your brothers would react well if my katana found its way through your chest."

Raph growled loudly in the back of his throat. "You so much as cut him with that oversized letter opener and I'll-"

Karai visibly shifted her katana, pressing the tip to Leo's throat. Kayla grabbed Raph's forearm and pulled him back.

"You'll what? You should watch your tongue, Raphael. And you should tell your five companions to come out and join you." she suggested, nodding up in the direction of where the others were still waiting.

Don glanced at Robin, who didn't look too happy but he sighed.

"Guys, get down here." he called carefully. Jordan, Cyborg, Mikey, Starfire, and Beast Boy all leapt from the second floor and cautiously moved to join their teammates.

As they were walking Kayla nudged Raph with her elbow. He looked down at her from the corner of his eye. She glanced from his hands to where Karai was holding Leo before looking back at Raph. He narrowed his eyes for a moment before he smirked and gave her a tiny nod. She nodded back. Kayla quickly glanced at Jordan and thought an idea at her. Jordan looked at her for a moment before giving a small smile.

Jordan used her powers to make a chunk of ice fall to the ground a few feet in front of Karai, making the woman ninja look away from them for a moment.

Kayla leapt up, feeling Raph grab her legs to swing her around. She went flying through the air, aiming her arrow in the process.

She was only about a yard from Karai when a weight slammed into her side, knocking her to the ground.

Before she knew what was going on she was pulled with her back to someone's chest, a sword pressed against her throat.

"That," said an unfamiliar voice, "was a bad idea."


	8. Chapter 8

"That," said an unfamiliar voice, "was a bad idea."

Kayla grimaced as she felt the blade press against her throat. She could tell by the voice that the person holding her was a female, and not much older than her either. She could also see a strand of light blonde, almost white, hair falling over her shoulder that must belong to her captor.

She was dimly aware of her brothers and friends staring at her, most in horror. But Robin was staring at her captor with a face of absolute shock, a slight hint of anger. A couple of the Titans almost mirrored his expression.

"Let her go!" Leo growled from where he was still being held by Karai.

The girl shifted her blade against Kayla's throat and she whimpered when she felt blood drip down her neck.

"Why should I?" she asked smugly. "What would keeping her alive do to benefit me?"

"Don't!" Kayla was shocked when she heard Karai hiss the command at her companion.

"Why?" she asked back, her voice lower than before.

"She's the one he wants." Karai answered quietly.

The arm holding her shifted slightly, but it didn't loosen its grip. "Her? What's so great about her?"

"That's not the point." Karai answered back angrily. "We need her alive."

"Who are you?" Robin demanded from his spot in the center of the room, his question directed at the mystery girl holding Kayla.

She chuckled silently. "You would just love to know that, wouldn't you Robin? Slade was right, you are a bit of the obsessive type." she stated arrogantly, her comment making Robin grow visibly angrier. Jordan grabbed his arm, probably to keep him from doing something stupid.

Jordan stepped back so that she stood almost behind Raven.

"Rae," she whispered almost silently, so the people across the room couldn't hear. "can you use your powers to get them out of there?"

Raven nodded slightly, not taking her eyes off the three girls and one turtle. She then closed her eyes and murmured under her breath, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos."

As if on cue, the turtles and other Titans formed a circle about the same time as a black, clawed hand came up through the floor and engulfed the three girls and Leo. When it retracted back into the ground only Karai and the mystery girl were left. The black energy came up through the floor in the center of the Titans' and turtles' circle, placing Kayla and Leo safely on the ground.

"Foot ninja! Attack!" Karai commanded angrily, pointing her katana at them.

"Commandos! Annihilate them!" the other girl shouted.

As their orders were given Foot ninjas and robots leapt out of the shadows and surrounded the small group of teens.

"Titans! Go!" Robin shouted. The Titans leapt into the fight. Leo nodded to his siblings before they followed suit, leaping into the fight with weapons flying. Kayla wasn't at all surprised when she saw Leo racing to attack Karai.

Robin went to attack the mystery girl, who Kayla finally got a good look at. She was wearing black and gray body armor with a gray utility belt and was fighting with two swords. She was also wearing a mask that covered the top half of her face and was tied behind her head, it was a copper color on her right side of her face with a blue eye showing while the left side was black, like a mirrored version of Slade.

Kayla leapt into the fight like the others, taking on three Foot ninjas. She didn't see one sneak up behind her until a green lion intercepted it and took the ninja out. Kayla paused and looked over at the lion, making eye contact. She smiled thankfully at him before jumping back into the fight.

The mystery girl knocked Robin away and he was kept occupied by about five Foot ninjas. She then rushed at Kayla, who had barely enough time to raise her bow as a sword was swung at her head. The sword slammed into her bow and her arms quivered from the effort. The girl thrust her face into Kayla's, her one blue eye narrowed.

"What makes you so special? You're nothing. A nobody. Why does the Shredder want you so badly?" she asked, almost to herself.

"If you're so high and mighty, why don't you ask him yourself?" Kayla snapped as she lifted her leg and kicked the girl in the gut. The blow barely phased her because she lifted her leg as well, swinging it around so her foot slammed into Kayla's side, sending her flying until she slammed into the nearby wall.

Kayla groaned as she picked herself off the ground, picking up her bow and pulling out an arrow. She aimed it right at the girl's chest and shot it. It was less than a foot from hitting her when she twirled her sword effortlessly, slicing the arrow in half.

Then, she dashed forward, throwing punches at Kayla so fast she barely had time to react. A final blow was given to her stomach, making her legs buckle in pain as she fell to the floor. Kayla gritted her teeth as she tried to stand up, but a fist grabbed the collar of her shirt and lifted her off the ground. She was brought up face to face with her attacker.

"You're weak. You're nothing more than a child. Why would someone as strong and powerful as the Shredder want someone like you so desperately? He has hundreds, if not thousands, of strong ninjitsu warriors. Why would someone like him even think twice about keeping someone like you alive?"

Kayla glared at her, gritting her teeth against the pain. She swung her leg up, kneeing the mystery girl in the gut. She didn't seem phased, but she dropped Kayla nonetheless, causing her to fall to the ground.

She threw her foot to kick Kayla on the ground, but Kayla mustered the strength to roll out of the way, managing to roll to her feet and stand up on shaky legs. The other girl rushed forward, lashing her sword out.

Kayla felt an agonizing pain shoot through her body and she looked down shakily. Her shirt was ripped, and below it her flesh had a ragged gash under her ribs with blood pouring from the wound and staining her already black shirt. It wasn't her worst injury, but it was close.

A steel boot slammed into Kayla's gut, sending her flying back into the wall again.

Raph looked over from where he had just finished off another robot thing. He looked just in time to see Kayla get slammed into a wall, and she didn't look like she was gonna get back up anytime soon.

Raph raced across the warehouse and slammed a punch into the girl's back, making her fall to her front. He leapt into the air to slam a punch at her again, but she rolled out of the way, grabbing her two swords as she did so.

Raph twirled his sais before rushing her, hooking his sais in her swords. With a flick of his wrists, he sent her swords flying out of her grasp. But she made up for it by back flipping, managing to kick Raph right in the face with the toe of her shoe.

Raph growled from deep in his throat as he rushed her again. She flipped one sword up with the toe of her boot and caught it in one hand, using it to blocks his sais. She shoved him away, and just as he was going to rush back in Robin leapt in and began fighting her.

Raph growled again, angry that Robin got in the way, but then he remembered Kayla. Raph whipped around, saw Kayla slouched against the wall, and raced over to her, falling to his knees next to her and putting his sais in his belt.

"Kay! Kayla, can ya hear me?!" he shouted frantically. Kayla grimaced and whimpered but didn't open her eyes or talk.

"I gotta get ya outta here." Raph mumbled to himself. He looked around and spotted the broken window they'd used to get in. He scooped Kayla up in his arms, one arm under her knees while the other supported her back, and raced across the warehouse, dodging ninjas and robots all the way.

Once he managed to get out he raced across the rooftops until he dropped down into the alley where the Battle Shell and T-car were parked. He placed Kayla on the ground between two dumpsters before untying her green mask and using it to try stopping the blood. After a couple minutes he looked at her face. She was pale and her breathing was shallow. He wasn't a doctor, he didn't know what to do, but he knew she needed help.

"I'm gonna go get the otha's. I'll be right back." Raph told her quietly, hoping she could hear him. He pressed the mask more firmly against her injury before standing up and hurrying up the fire escape.

He raced back to the warehouse faster than he'd ever run before. When he finally swung through the window he saw that the fight was going no better than it had been before he left.

He scanned the crowd and leapt into the building, racing up to Leo.

"Leo!" he called as he stopped beside his older brother. Leo kicked a ninja away and turned to look at his brother.

"Yeah?"

"Kay's hurt! I got her somewhere safe, but she's bleedin' bad! She needs help!"

Fear flashed through Leo's eyes before he looked around the warehouse.

The fight wasn't going well. They obviously weren't winning, and they were way outnumbered. There was no way they'd get the information they wanted.

Meanwhile, across the warehouse, Robin was fighting the mystery girl.

He slammed his staff into her two swords and they got in each others face.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

She smirked at him, her blue eye twinkling mischievously. "Not that it's any of your business, Robin, but I think I've toyed around with you and your friends enough. The name's Ravager."

"How long have you been working for Slade?" Robin demanded as the two began moving in a circle, their weapons still pressed together.

"Ah, ah, ah." Ravager scolded lightly with a big smile on her face, "Giving away too much information just ruins the fun."

"Tell me!" Robin shouted, shoving his weapon at her, causing her to back flip away from him. When she landed she twirled her two swords in each hand.

Robin was about to charge her again when Leo called from across the warehouse.

"Everyone! Fall back!"

Robin froze and looked at the blue-masked turtle in shock.

"What?! We can't fall back now!" Robin protested.

Jordan called from where she was trapping Slade's robots in blocks of ice, "Robin, this fight is getting us nowhere! Leo's right, we need to fall back! Kayla's hurt, she needs medical help now!" Jordan had seen Kayla's condition in Raph's mind.

"But we came here to get information!" Robin argued, keeping an eye on Ravager from where she was watching him with an amused smirk on her face. "We can't just leave!"

"Dude, the fight's practically lost." Beast Boy changed back to himself and stood by Jordan.

"They're right, Robin." Raven agreed, wrapping pipes around a group of ninjas.

Robin growled and glared over at Ravager. "Fine!" he agreed angrily.

Leo nodded. "Alright. Everyone, fall back!"

The large group of teens backed into a crowd and Leo threw down a smoke pellet, effectively making them disappear from the enemy's sight.

When they were gone Karai sheathed her katana and walked over to Ravager, who was sliding her swords into their sheaths as well.

"What were you thinking?" Karai demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

Ravager looked to the side at her with a bored expression. "What?" she asked.

"Hurting Kayla like that. The Shredder wants her alive! How could you give her such a severe injury?!"

Ravager rolled her eye. "Oh, come on!" she turned and leaned her back against the wall in a relaxed posture. "Look, Karai, you may be a ninjutsu master, and a bit of an expert when it comes to those turtles, but you're way out of your depth when it comes to the Titans."

Karai crossed her arms. "As I recall, you've never fought them before, either. You've never even met them."

"Maybe not." Ravager agreed, sliding out one of her swords to run her thumb along the blade. "But I've studied them. Their powers, personalities, their techniques. I know more about them than you do. And I happen to know Raven has healing powers, and she wouldn't let your precious Kayla die on her watch. Don't worry. I could've easily done more damage to the girl without even trying, but I didn't. She'll be fine." Ravager smirked at her 'partner'. "Trust me." she said as she walked away, heading to the window they came in from.

Karai watched her go with her eyes narrowed. They may be forced to work together, but no matter what anyone said, there was no way she was going to trust Ravager.


	9. Chapter 9

**When I first started writing this story I had a bunch planned for Kayla's last week of school before Thanksgiving break, but none of it really had much to do with the story, so to speed things along those details were cut. Sorry!**

**XXX**

Raven had healed Kayla on the way back to the lair, luckily the injury wasn't as bad as everyone thought it was. Unfortunately, in Kayla's opinion, she was healthy enough to be able to go to school the following Monday morning.

The whole week was fairly normal, Kayla had two more nightmares during the week. However there was one thing Kayla noticed throughout the week.

Robin was pouring himself more into his work in trying to locate Slade and Shredder, but it appears they were more careful in staying hidden. Kayla also noticed that whenever she spoke to Robin he either spoke bitterly to her or he would flat-out ignore her and walk away. Kayla wasn't stupid, she knew Robin was mad at her. After all, it was all her fault they had to leave that night. They had gone there to get information, and the only new info they'd managed to dig up was that one girl's name: Ravager. They didn't know who she was or anything, so that really just gave them more questions than answers, so that didn't help. And they wouldn't have had to run if Kayla hadn't of gotten hurt. Robin blamed her, she knew it.

When Kayla came home from school Friday afternoon she had a plan that she'd concocted during her study hall, she just needed to run it by someone who wasn't Robin or Leo. She couldn't run it by Robin cause he probably wouldn't listen anyway, and Leo would hear it and shoot it down immediately. She needed someone who'd hear her out and at least give it a thought, and possibly back her up against the others.

Scanning the lair when she entered, she spotted Don at his computers. She smiled to herself; perfect. She dropped her stuff by the couch and headed towards him.

"Hey Don, what's up?" she asked as she leaned on the back of his chair.

"Hhm. Nothing." he mumbled as he watched the screen and tapped away at the keyboard. Kayla had no idea what he was doing.

"Hey Don? I kinda had an idea." Kayla started nervously.

"Yeah?" he asked, his eyes still fixed on the screen.

"Well, I was thinking and I realized, Slade's not from around here, but Shredder practically owns this city. And we all know where Foot Headquarters is. So, maybe we could find out what's going on if one of us, you know, infiltrated Foot HQ. Like an inside man." Kayla watched the back of Donny's head, waiting for a reaction.

"Look Kay, I'm really busy right now. Tell me later, okay?" Don suggested distractedly as he continued typing.

Kayla sighed. So much for getting help. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the floor. 'I'll just have to handle this myself', she thought to herself as she turned to her bedroom.

…

When Kayla heard the clock strike midnight she slid silently out of her bed, stepping carefully over Leo's sleeping form as he laid beside her bed. She grabbed her weapons from by her bedroom door and slipped out, glancing one last time at her two oldest brothers as they slept, unaware of her plans.

She slunk through the lair, staying hidden by the shadows. The lowered volume of the TV helping to mask her footsteps as she passed. She reached the elevator and headed up to the surface. She decided to run so as not to draw too much attention to herself. She finally slid to a stop at the edge of an apartment rooftop, staring out at the enormous skyscraper. Saki Enterprises. One of the largest buildings in all of New York, over ninety stories tall. Kayla had infiltrated it before, but with the help of her brothers and April. And that was to destroy him, one of their many failed attempts. This time would be different, and she'd be alone.

Kayla took deep breaths to calm herself before leaping down the fire escape to the alley below. Then, she walked calmly down the sidewalk, stopping at the front gates where two guards wearing Foot uniforms were standing.

"Halt! I need to see some identification." one demanded when Kayla stopped in front of them.

Kayla looked up at him with an expressionless face. She glanced around her briefly before looking back up at him. "I don't have any identification on me. Name's Kayla. I'm what you could call…an acquaintance to Oroku Saki. Call him and check with him if you don't believe me." she suggested as her arms crossed over her chest.

The two guards glanced at each other, she couldn't see their eyes behind their red glasses. Then, one put his fingers to the communication device he had hooked on his ear.

"Mr. Saki, I'm sorry to bother you, but there's a girl here saying she's an acquaintance of you…yes sir. Says her name's Kayla…Teenager, Japanese, with black hair and brown eyes. She's wearing ninja equipment…no sir, she appears to be alone. What do you want us to do?" the man paused and Kayla could hear Saki's voice on the other line, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

"Yes sir." the guard finally answered before dropping his hand and turning to his partner. "Confiscate her weapons and any communication devices." he ordered. The other guard did as he was told, taking Kayla's bow and quiver and frisking her, finding nothing else on her.

"Saki wants you to take her inside, Hun will meet you and both of you will escort her to Mr. Saki's office."

The guard nodded before grabbing Kayla's shoulder and leading her through the courtyard. When they walked through the big front doors they were met by Hun, standing there with his bulky arms crossed.

Kayla had to clench her teeth to keep some sarcastic comment from slipping out, like; 'what's up hippy mountain?'. Yeah, that wouldn't help her position any. Hun narrowed his eyes at her before grabbing her other shoulder with one of his enormous hands and practically pushing her towards an elevator door. The ride up to the top was long and awkward. Kayla couldn't stop the nervous twitching, no matter how hard she tried to suppress them.

Finally, there was a ding and the elevator doors opened.

The room didn't surprise her, she'd been in here before obviously. The room was large, with mahogany walls, flooring, and beams. There were also torches around the room and at the far back there was a black cloth hanging from the ceiling with the red Foot symbol on it.

Oroku Saki stood on the far side of the room just behind his Elite Guard, Karai stood watching Kayla from just to Saki's side, and Ravager stood opposite to her next to a man wearing an outfit similar to hers, Kayla guessed he was Slade.

"Ah, Kayla. I was surprised to hear you were here." Saki greeted her as she moved forward with Hun. As she moved closer Ravager flipped her sword up, pointing the tip at Kayla's throat, forcing her to stop.

"State your business." she demanded.

"Ravager." Slade's voice alone was a silent command. Ravager's ice-blue eye lowered and looked to the side.

"Stand down, Ravager." Saki commanded in his strong, rasping voice that made Kayla cringe. It sounded like sandpaper.

Ravager glared at Kayla a moment before stepping back and sheathing her sword. Kayla remained emotionless, even though she desperately wanted to glare back.

"So, Kayla, what brings you here? Without your terrapin companions?" Saki asked calmly, seeming to try and hide his curiosity.

Kayla took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "I came here because I want to join you."

Her words were followed by silence. The only person who seemed to actually react was Karai, who whipped her head to look at her father before looking back at Kayla, her green eyes wide with shock. Ravager narrowed her eyes suspiciously while Kayla couldn't read Saki's eyes.

"Really?" he finally responded. "If I remember correctly, you always said you'd rather die alongside the turtles than join me."

Kayla took a deep breath to steady herself. "I've finally…come to my senses. I'm sick of them. Those turtles and that stupid, annoying rat. Always going on about honor and rules and everything. They're driving me crazy. So, I finally decided that enough was enough."

Saki was silent as he watched her, seeming to think over her words.

"Master, you don't honestly believe anything she's saying, do you?" Hun stepped forward and questioned his master.

"For once, I'm with the moron." Ravager turned to Saki, gesturing to Hun with her hand. They didn't seem to like each other.

"Silence!" Saki snapped at them both. The two ducked their heads, Hun in shame but Ravager seemed more nervous, though she covered it up very well.

Slade turned to look at Oroku Saki. "Saki, are you honestly going to trust a girl who's with your natural enemies? Who was raised by you enemy. If I remember correctly, we are partners in this. I will not have all my hard work ruined by one girl because of your mistake, should this go bad."

Saki narrowed his eyes at Slade in a glare before looking back at Kayla.

"So, you wish to join the Foot Clan?" he checked. Kayla nodded her head once. Saki was quiet as he thought it over.

"Very well, however you must do something to prove yourself." Saki reasoned. Kayla tried not to hesitate and nodded in agreement. She'd do anything to earn their trust right now. Saki smiled a dark, sinister smirk.

"Good. First, Karai will take you to your quarters so you can change into your Foot uniform. Then, you will come back here for your initiation and you will give us the location of the turtles' lair."

Kayla's eyes widened, but she tried her best to keep the horror from her face.

"Then, you will lead the attack there to help annihilate the turtles and Splinter. Agreed?"

Kayla swallowed and nodded, forcing a determined look on her face.

"Good. Karai, take her to a room to change."

"Yes, Master." Karai agreed before taking Kayla's weapons from Hun and walking back to the elevator with Kayla in tow.

When the door closed the tension became almost palpable. Kayla could tell Karai was watching her from the corner of her eyes. There was a ding before Karai motioned with her hand for Kayla to get out first, clearly keeping a close eye on her.

They crossed a wide open room before reaching a sliding, Japanese style door. Karai opened it and motioned for Kayla to enter it, handing her bow and quiver to her as she passed.

"Change in here, then come back up to Shredder's office." Karai ordered before leaving, closing the door behind her.

Kayla listened carefully to her receding footsteps, and when all was silent she turned her quiver over and dumped all the arrows out, along with the false bottom she'd put in and the Shell Cell hiding underneath.

She pushed the button on the side, causing it to open.

"Leo, guys…anyone hear me?" she asked into the phone, trying to stay slightly quiet.

There was a couple moments of silence before Leo's voice spoke into the device.

"Kayla? What-where are you?" he asked, sounding half asleep.

Kayla gulped slightly, knowing her brother was gonna flip. "Um, well, I'm…inside Saki Enterprises." she answered, saying the name quickly.

There was two seconds of silence before: "What?! Are you crazy? What are you doing over there?" he demanded, clearly wide awake now. Kayla could also hear Raph in the background asking what was going on.

"I, well, um…I thought maybe if we could get, like, an inside man we could find out what was going on?" she answered it like a question, scared of his reaction.

"No. Absolutely not. Get the shell outta there, Kay. It's too dangerous." Leo demanded, and Kay could hear other voices and bustling in the background, suggesting the others were waking up.

Kayla tried to stay confidant so she could convince him. "Well, too bad, bro. I'm already inside, and they bought my story. They're about to initiate me into the Foot clan. There's just, um…one problem." she admitted nervously at the end.

"What?" Leo asked angrily. Oh, she was so in for a grilling later.

"Well, um, you see," Kayla sighed, thinking it'd be better to just get it over with, "they want me to prove my loyalty. So, they want me to lead them to the lair, and lead an attack there."

There were several voices shouting in the background, clearly Leo had her on speaker.

"Kayla, no, this is going too far. You shouldn't have done this without discussing it with someone." Leo scolded.

Kayla rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see her. "Leo, I did try to talk to Donny, but he was busy. And I knew no one else would be willing to even listen to me. Besides, it's my fault we don't have anything to go on. Robin, and probably some of the other Titans, hate me because of it. So, it's my responsibility to fix this. As soon as I find out their plans, I'll get outta here, okay?"

"Absolutely not. You could get killed or something. I want you outta there. Now!"

"But Leo, I-"

A sword sliced by Kayla's head, causing the Shell Cell to fall to the ground in two pieces. A fist collided with her cheek bone, causing her body to whip around and fall to the ground. She rolled onto her back and looked up to see Ravager standing over her, pointing the tip of her sword at Kayla's face.

"I knew you couldn't be trusted." she declared before bending over, grabbing the hair at the nape of Kayla's head and lifting her partially off the ground.

She dragged Kayla out of the room, to the elevator, and finally into Shredder's office. Everyone who was there before looked their way.

Karai stepped forward, looking livid. "What are you doing?!" she demanded.

Ravager threw Kayla to the floor, making her land on her hip, holding herself up on her elbows and hanging her head.

The one-eyed girl then tossed the two halves of the Shell Cell on the ground next to her.

"Found her talking to someone on that, sounded like one of those lizards."

"Turtles." Karai corrected before thinking.

Ravager glared slightly at her. "Whatever. Either way, she said she snuck in to find out what our plans are. I told you we couldn't trust her!"

"Ravager!" Slade snapped, making her silence herself.

Saki stepped forward until he was only a foot in front of Kayla, who was trying to push herself up.

"I see you nearly fooled me, Kayla. You are more like me than I give you credit for. Scheming, clever, willing to say anything to get what you want. Quite dishonorable, too."

Kayla sat on her knees, her head down and eyes glaring at the floor beneath her. She knew he was trying to get to her, get a reaction out of her.

"What are we going to do with her, now, Master?" Karai asked seriously, knowing Shredder wouldn't pass up this perfect opportunity.

"Master, do you realize how much power you now hold over those freaks?" Hun asked, stepping to stand before Saki. "She's precious to them, they'd do anything for her. Kill her. With her dead those shellbacks will be broken, we could easily destroy them. Then, those Titans will be easily defeated without their help. No one would stand in your way."

Saki stared at Hun for a moment before looking thoughtfully down at Kayla, who was now being restrained by a couple Foot ninjas.

"If they'd do anything for her, why not use that?" Ravager asked with a shrug, leaning back against the wall with her arms crossed.

Saki glanced at her before looking back at Kayla once again, who was now glaring at Ravager. Still watching her, Saki asked, "Ravager, you said she was talking to one of the turtles, correct?"

"Yes."

"So they know she's here I presume."

"Yeah, apparently she came here without telling any of them, so the one she was talking to wasn't too happy."

Saki smirked before looking sideways to where Hun was standing. "If I know those turtles, they are on their way to rescue her now. Hun," the huge, Purple Dragon leader turned to his Master, "you said the turtles would be broken if she was killed. How do you think they'd react if they came here to rescue her and found her beaten nearly beyond recognition?"

Hun smirked evilly at his Master before looking down at Kayla, who glared back up at him, failing to hide the fear flashing in her chocolate brown eyes.

"Hun, if you would." Saki gestured to Kayla.

Hun cracked his knuckles. "With pleasure."


	10. Chapter 10

Leo clenched his fist around the edge of the drivers seat as Don sped the Battle Shell down the dark, New York City streets.

"Can't you go any faster, Donny?" he asked impatiently.

Don sighed. "For the hundredth time, Leo, I'm already twenty miles over the speed limit. And besides, we're almost there."

Leo sighed impatiently as his observant eyes scanned the streets as they sped past.

After the line had been cut off on Kayla's shell cell they quickly came up with a simple plan, an idea actually possible thanks to their new friends, and piled into the two vehicles. All the turtles were in the Battle Shell while the Titans were all inside the T-car.

Finally, Don pulled the Battle Shell into an alley just down the street, Saki Enterprises in plain sight. The turtles barreled out of the vehicle just as the T-car pulled in behind them, the Titans getting out as soon as it came to a stop.

Leo nodded to them. "Alright, let's go." he ordered, leading the way up onto the rooftop.

As soon as everyone was on the roof some of the Titans prepared themselves. Raven used her powers to create a black circle she could stand on; Jordan formed a large, semi-flat chunk of ice; and Beast Boy turned into a green pterodactyl.

The rest of the group got in their groups they agreed to before they left. Leo and Raph got on Raven's circle, Don and Mikey climbed onto Jordan's chunk of ice, Beast Boy grabbed onto Cyborg's shoulders with his clawed feet, and Starfire grabbed Robin under his arms with her hands.

"Alright, I think we're ready." Leo nodded and Raven lead the others up to the very top floor of Saki Enterprises, where Shredder's office was. Starfire and Jordan flew their groups around to the other side.

Raven flew to a window so they could see inside. But no one expected to see what they saw.

Sure, Saki was there, talking to Karai, Slade, Ravager, and Hun, but it was what was behind them that caught everyone's attention.

On the back wall, right over the red Foot symbol, Kayla's wrists and ankles were tied, spreading her arms and legs to form a sort of X shape. Her clothes were tattered and ripped a bit, there was a rip large enough on her side to reveal a nasty bruise, and several covered her face, but they couldn't get a good look past her hair.

"You guys seeing this?" Don's voice came from Leo's shell cell, sounding tight with anger.

"Yeah, Don, we see it." Leo growled back. He could feel Raph shaking next to him, his muscles tensing.

"I'd like to point out this is a trap," Jordan's voice came from the shell cell, Don and Cy worked together to connect their shell cells with the Titans' communicators. "We have to make sure to stick to the plan, otherwise we're not gonna be able to pull it off."

"Jordan, can you read any of their minds?" Leo asked quickly, "Can you see what their plans are?"

There was a few moments of silence, Jordan probably checking if she could read their minds, before she answered, "No, I can't. Slade invented something a long time ago. Something he can wear in his ear that blocks me from reading his mind. He must've made some for them, too."

"Great." Don groaned.

"Can we get in 'dere now?" Raph growled, fists clenching his sais in anger.

(Two Worlds - Phil Collins)

"Raph, when we break in, you go straight to Kayla and cut her down. We're sticking to the plan, get in, get out. No revenge, we'll save that for another time. Got it?" Leo asked into his shell cell, while looking at his hotheaded brother as well. Raph nodded stiffly while everyone else murmured their agreement.

_Put your faith in what you most believe in_

_Two worlds, one family_

_Trust your heart, let fate decide_

_To guide these lives we see_

"Alright, on my signal," Leo started, watching the people inside. He saw a few Foot ninjas leave the room in the elevator, "Now!"

Shattering erupted all around as the teens crashed through the glass windows.

"Foot Elite! Attack!" Shredder shouted, causing the caped, hat-wearing ninjas to leap down from the beams.

"Ah, shell." Mikey muttered as he faced off against one.

Raph dodged around one, racing to the back wall that was, unfortunately, right behind Oroku Saki.

_A paradise untouched by man_

_Within this world blessed with love_

_A simple life, they live in peace_

The Foot leader took a stance in front of him, but Leo leapt past Raph from behind, knocking Saki back. The katana-wielding turtle continued to attack him while Raph raced past them and stopped in front of Kayla.

Her face was covered in large bruises that were obviously made by large fists, one eye was almost swollen shut, her bottom lip was cut, blood dripped down from a cut on her forehead, and a trail of dried blood ran from her nose down her mouth and chin.

Raph growled from deep in his throat. "Hun." he knew it was him, no one else had fists big enough to leave those bruises.

_Softly tread the sand below your feet now_

_Two worlds, one family_

_Trust your heart, let fate decide_

_To guide these lives we see_

Raph cut the ropes on her ankles, then the ones on her wrists, catching her as she fell into his arms. He heard familiar, pounding footsteps and he growled up at Hun as he approached. Raph gently lowered Kayla to the ground, leaning her against the wall, and turned to stand in front of her and face Hun.

"You." he growled, spinning his sais at his sides.

_Beneath the shelter of the trees_

_Only love can enter here_

_A simple life, they live in peace_

Hun cracked his knuckles and smirked down at him. "Like my artwork?" he asked smugly, nodding toward Kayla.

That sent white hot rage coursing through Raph's veins. He saw red as he launched himself at Hun, throwing punches and kicks strong enough to send the enormous Purple Dragon to the floor several yards away.

_Raise your head up, lift high the load_

_Take strength from those that need you_

"Raph!" Leo shouted angrily, "I told you to get her out of here! That's an order!"

Raph growled at his brother before spinning on the ball of his foot and racing back to his sister. He gently picked her up bridal style before racing back to where they'd broken in.

Raven met him there, using her powers to recreate the black circle. Raph jumped on and lowered Kayla down to the floor, resting on his knees with one hand on her.

"Guys! Retreat!" Leo shouted, spinning his leg to kick a Foot ninja in the face.

_Build high the walls_

_Build strong the beams_

_A new life is waiting, but danger's no stranger here_

The other turtles and the Titans raced to the break in the window. Raven used her powers to pull two of the beams on either side of them down, causing a temporary blockade.

"Move!" Robin ordered. Jordan formed another chunk of ice and Beast Boy changed into a pterodactyl.

_No words describe a mother's tears_

_No words can heal a broken heart_

_A dream is gone, but where there's hope_

As Don and Mikey leap onto Jordan's ice a bunch of reinforcements burst through to doors and into the room. Star picked up Robin and Leo leaped onto Raven's circle with Kayla's bow and quiver, which he found during the fight, and laid them down beside her. Beast Boy picked up Cyborg and finally the group took off.

_Somewhere something is calling for you_

_Two worlds, one family_

Raph noticed Ravager racing to the edge, looking like she was gonna jump. At the rate she was going she could easily jump and grab hold of Cyborg's legs.

She was almost at the edge when something landed at her feet, stopping her in her tracks and preventing her from jumping. Raph blinked in shock, seeing a familiar arrow stabbed into the wood. He looked down next to him.

_Trust your heart, let fate decide_

_To guide these lives we see_

Kayla was laying on her stomach and hip, holding her bow and gasping for breath. Her shoulders slouched and Raph took the bow from her before she dropped it, crouching back down and resting one hand on her back. She laid back down and closed her eyes, groaning slightly from the pain.

The group flew back to the back alley where their cars were parked. Jordan hurried to Raph's side when they were on the ground, seeing if he needed any help.

"Is she going to be alright?" Jordan asked worriedly, looking down at her friend.

"Raven, you ride in the Battle Shell with them so you can heal her injuries on the way back to the lair." Robin ordered. Raven nodded and jumped into the back of the Battle Shell ahead of Raph. When Raph was about to get in after her, Kayla's hand shot out and grabbed Jordan's wrist.

Raph looked down in shock, seeing Kayla's eyes were open as wide as they could be, despite the swollen black eye. She was staring unwaveringly at Jordan, who was staring back just as intensely.

"What's going on?" Leo asked, looking between his sister and the brunette Titan.

"Jordan's reading her mind. Or, it looks like Kayla's thinking something at her." Beast Boy explained, having seen this happen several times before.

"Well, we have to go." Robin pointed out hurriedly, looking around worriedly.

Leo nodded. "Mikey, ride in the T-car. Raven and Jordan can ride with us in the Battle Shell."

Everyone followed his orders and got in their assigned car, speeding off down the dark New York City streets.


End file.
